The Corsaires and the Marauders
by audiogasmic
Summary: The Marauders seem to have met their match in four female best friends. What happens when their lives become entangled? Romance, humor, action, and Quidditch ensue! Lots of OC pairings, LExSS, LExJP
1. Sixth Year

Hello everyone, and welcome to the rebooted version of The Unknowns and the Marauders! I hope some readers of the old version will find this new version, even though it's been completely redone, even the name. I don't know why I went with "Unknowns" back in '04, but it's so unoriginal. So I switched to Corsaires, the French word for "pirate". It's pretty, feminine, but still tough. I'm going to add some deeper plot this time around, develop the characters a bit more, and hopefully my writing is considerably better than when I was 14. Also, the boys won't be having a POV this time around. It's too much if I want to develop the girl characters. I also changed two of the girl's names. Enjoy the new and improved story!

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Four girls sat chatting excitedly in a compartment of the Hogwarts Express. They were entering their sixth year at the magical school and were buzzing on the adrenaline high that came with every new year at their home away from home.

"So, Chloe, think you'll be Quidditch captain this year?" asked Lily Evans, only asking out of interest in her friend's life. She had never really cared for the sport.

"This loser? Please, she can hardly see the Quaffle, much less score with it!" cackled Lindsey Ceridwen, nudging Chloe Quinn in the ribs. Of course, they all knew this was a joke; Chloe was one of the best Chasers Ravenclaw had seen in a while. Lindsey's red hair, a few shades darker than Lily's, caught the light and sparkled to match the mirth in her sky blue eyes. Her tiny nose crinkled as she grinned playfully at her best friend.

"Shut up. My mum took me to get contacts this summer," Chloe snapped back, half-heartedly narrowing her hazel eyes into a glare at her best friend. She fiddled with her extremely long, chestnut-colored hair, which was twisted into a braid.

"What about you, Lily? Still enjoying that shiny prefects badge?" asked Cassandra Matchitehew, smiling through her jealousy. Her black hair had been chopped into a short, chin-length bob over the summer. It seemed to draw attention to her startlingly blue eyes.

"Of course. I'll never understand how I was awarded it, though, after all the trouble we've stirred up!"

"We? We are innocent," Chloe said, feigning offense. "It's those dirty Marauders you have to watch out for. We simply counteract the calamity they enact." She grinned playfully at her cohorts.

"Oh please, don't get all Ravenclaw on us, Quinn." There were only four people with whom the girls were on a last name basis; the door to their compartment slid open as those four male faces appeared in the walkway. James Potter grinned devilishly at them.

"See? I told you. They can't even keep to their own conversations," Chloe said, feigning disinterest and opening the Daily Prophet which was lying next to her on the seat.

"You're just jealous because we snuck up on you," a second voice proclaimed, this one from Sirius Black. "Ah, if only you had our skills and our talents…"

"Ah, yes, if by 'talents' you mean 'loudness, obnoxiousness, and rudeness'. Yes, quite jealous, indeed," Lily said thoughtfully. The other three girls laughed. James smoothly ignored her jab.

"Well ladies, it was nice being attacked by you, but we really must get out of the lovely cart lady's way. See you in school." James threw them a wink before sauntering off with the rest of his pack.

As soon as the door was closed, Chloe huddled closer to the other three girls.

"Want to get a head start?" she asked, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "I cooked something up over the summer… it was pretty simple really…"

"Show us!" Cassandra said eagerly. "What is it? Let's see it!"

"Calm down, Cassie, I'm getting to it!" Chloe said, digging through her pockets. "Ahh yes, here we go. I planned it for some of our Slytherin buddies—no offense, Cassie—but it couldn't hurt to get a test run in on our favorite Marauders, could it?"

"Quit fooling around and show us!" Lindsey said. Anything to get a jump on the boys before they started pulling their pranks was welcomed by the entire group. Chloe's hand emerged from her pocket with a Chocolate Frog.

"Wow, great invention, Chloe. Never seen anything quite like it," Lindsey said, rolling her eyes.

"Shut up, you incredible arse. It's not just a Chocolate Frog. Watch." Chloe poked her head out of the compartment and looked around. Sure enough, the boys were seated nearby. "Lindsey, come with me. It'll look suspicious if we all go." Lindsey stood and followed her to the boy's compartment.

"Hello, gentlemen," Chloe said sweetly. "I had an extra Chocolate Frog, would one of you like it?" The boys eyed her suspiciously.

"What did you do to it?" Remus Lupin asked cautiously. Chloe looked confused.

"Do to it? Do you really suspect us at every turn? I'm just trying to be nice…" Lindsey nearly smirked. Chloe was really good at making people feel the way she wanted them to.

"I'll take it!" Peter said. Peter was never one to turn down sweets. He unwrapped it greedily, stuffing it whole into his mouth. As he chewed, his eyes suddenly went wide.

"I knew it," Remus groaned, just as puffs of blue smoke escaped from Peter's ears and nostrils. He tried to open his mouth, but it was glued together by something blue and sticky. Chloe and Lindsey were in stitches, roaring in laughter. Peter was pulling at his mouth frantically, trying to get the glue-like concoction out. James and Sirius bit their bottoms lips to hide snickers, but Remus took pity on Peter.

"Okay girls, you've had your fun. Now fix it," he said stated firmly but gently. Peter was close to tears.

"Okay, fine, fine," Chloe said, still choking on giggles. She muttered something and waved her wand and Peter's mouth flew open. He crossed his arms and glared out the window.

"Aw, we're sorry Peter. We were just having a bit of fun. Don't be cross," Lindsey said. He merely glowered at her, to which she shrugged.

"Come on, let's head on back. I'm sure Lily and Cassie will want to hear all about this," she said, grinning smugly at the boys.

"1-0 Corsaires!" Chloe chirped as she and Lindsey trotted off, just in time to change into their school robes before the train approached Hogsmeade.


	2. On Even Ground

I've just discovered the rule of "no new stories for 2 days for new members". Thanks, . That's awesome. So by the time you're reading this there will probably already be 5 chapters ready to go. PS: Yes, each of the girls is in each of the Houses; Chloe in Ravenclaw, Lindsey in Hufflepuff, Lily in Gryffindor, and Cassie in Slytherin. I honestly didn't do that on purpose. Chloe is based on me, so Ravenclaw. Lindsey on my best friend, so Hufflepuff. Lily has to be in Gryffindor, and the way I wrote Cassie's character dictates that she is in Slytherin. So it's not a cheesy ploy, just coincidence! Promise!

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

The first week went by uneventfully, and Chloe was starting to get nervous. Quidditch trials were approaching and, as she had officially been named captain, she needed to attend to that. Constantly checking over her shoulder to see what James Potter and his crew were up to was starting to get the best of her.

"I really don't see why you're so stressed out," Lily said as she dropped her satchel next to Chloe on the grass by the lake. Chloe smiled at her friend.

"When am I ever not stressed out?"

"Good question. You Ravenclaws are such perfectionists."

"You Gryffindors are so full of yourselves."

"You twits are so ridiculous." Lindsey had joined the party.

"Don't even get us started on Hufflepuff," Chloe said. Lindsey simply rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Where's Cassie?"

"Slytherin got held over in Herbology, I suppose," Lily said absent-mindedly, studying her Transfiguration book.

"Nah, Ravenclaw had Herbology with the Slytherins today. She's probably talking to Professor Sprout, she had trouble with the lesson today. I told her to meet us here," Chloe chimed in.

"Oh yeah, forgot that one of us should have been in class with her," Lily said, barely looking up from her book.

"Bloody hell, is this a homework party? Because I don't have any yet," Lindsey said, dropping gracefully in between Lily and Chloe.

"Sure you do, you just haven't procrastinated the correct amount to encourage your best work yet!" Chloe said, removing her Potions book. Lindsey opened her mouth with a biting retort, but Lily cut her short.

"So how, exactly, did you make that weird blue goo that you fed Peter?" she asked. "I've been curious. I wish I could've seen the look on his face," she said, green eyes glittering in mirth.

"It was pretty simple; I got some standard Muggle taffy candy and used an inverted version of a Temporary Sticking Charm, threw some powdery stuff in and charmed it to blow out of the nose and ears…"

"Yeah, real simple, Chloe." Cassie had finally joined the party.

"Cass! You're finally here!" Lindsey grabbed her arm and pulled her down into the grass, toppling the petite girl on top of her.

"I love you, Linds, but not like that," Cassie said, pushing herself off the red head.

"It's so nice to be back at school with you fine ladies," Lindsey said, ignoring Cassie's lesbian jab. She lay on her back and smiled up at the cloudless blue sky. The other girls lay down next to her.

"Yeah, France was nice, but I really missed you girls!" Chloe said, holding her Potions book in front of her face, blocking the sky with potion ingredients and recipes.

"Did you guys hear that?" Cassie asked, swiping her coal black hair out of her eyes to look at the other girls. "It sounded like something rumbling…"

"No, I didn't—" But Lily's words were cut off as the girls suddenly found themselves rolling wildly as the grass suddenly leapt up and rolled them up in a dirt rug.

"JAMES POTTER!" Lily screamed. They knew. They always knew. Plus, they could hear the boys hooting in laughter by the trees.

"You…you guys look so ridiculous!" Sirius Black roared. Indeed, they did. The tight grass roll had Lily, Chloe, Lindsey, and Cassandra all mashed together, their heads and feet the only thing visible on either side of the human sushi roll.

"I SWEAR ON MERLIN'S GRAVE IF MY POTIONS BOOK IS RUINED…"

"Cassie, your hair is in my eye!"

"Lily, get your wand out of my stomach!"

"I can't help it!" The girls continued struggling, before Chloe finally wriggled her wand from between herself and Lindsey and counteracted the spell. She leapt to her feet.

"Start running now boys, before I hex you all the way to Diagon Alley and back," she snarled. The boys knew Chloe was deadly with her hexes, so, still cackling hysterically, they made a run for the castle.

"I think that makes the score 1 and 1!" Remus called over his shoulder as they disappeared out of sight.

"Sometimes, I hate them," Cassie growled, wiping dirt off her robes.

"You have to admit though, that was pretty hilarious. After the fact," Lindsey said.

"My potions book is torn!" Chloe whined.

"You are so dim for a Ravenclaw," Lily said, snatching the book from her hands and muttering "Reparo!", returning the book to its former condition. Chloe blushed.

"It's just the principle of the matter, y'know…"

Later that evening, Chloe was returning from a solo study session in the library, cutting it quite close to curfew. Few people were in the halls, and she strolled leisurely, unconcerned about making it to Ravenclaw tower in time. She'd done this plenty of times before. She instead let her mind wander to the impending Quidditch trials later that week. She dreamed of Ravenclaw finally taking the trophy from Gryffindor, and of seeing Lindsey and Cassie try out for their teams. Of course they'd make it, but they hadn't been chosen as captains. Her thoughts were suddenly knocked from her consciousness as she collided with someone.

"Bloody hell, watch where you're—! Oh, it's you Sirius." Chloe said, rubbing her smarting nose.

"So sorry, Quinn. Did I intrude on your daydreams, or was I already there?" he purred, flashing his best smile. Her face turned crimson.

"No, I was thinking about Quidditch, a far more intriguing topic. What the hell are you doing down here, anyway?"

"Oh, just walking. I like to walk around the castle to clear my head sometimes."

"It's already pretty clear as far as coherent thought and common sense go."

"Ouch. Brutal, Quinn." They walked as they bantered, Sirius following her towards Ravenclaw tower.

"What, no snappy comeback?" She turned to look at him, and hadn't noticed the tired look in his eyes, the lines pulling at the corners of his mouth and eyes until she did so. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he said, pasting his trademark grin back on his face. Chloe stopped walking.

"You know, I know our groups of friends are rivals, so to speak, but I would hardly declare us enemies. If anything is bothering you, you can talk to me about it," Chloe said sincerely. Sirius couldn't help but look taken aback.

"Well…er, thanks, thanks a lot Chloe. That means a lot. There are some things you just can't talk to guys about, you know?" Chloe was surprised that he seemed so bewildered by her friendly gesture. She hadn't realized until that moment that through their pranks, jokes, and temporary moments of cease-fire, they had never gotten to know each other as anything deeper than acquaintances.

"I can understand that," she said, offering a friendly grin.

"It's weird that you're being nice to me," Sirius stated as they started walking again. Chloe bristled.

"Well, considering your reputation around school, maybe I should reconsider those aforementioned 'nice' actions," she said roughly. Sirius just laughed.

"No, I just mean because none of us have ever really tried to get to know any of you, despite knowing and pranking you for six years now. It's a new side to you. I like it," he said, smiling down at her. She had never realized how much shorter than him she was, her head barely reaching his shoulder.

"Well, thanks. I was just thinking the same."

"Conceited, are we?"

"No, you git. I meant about our groups." They had reached the base of the Ravenclaw tower. "Well, I suppose I'll see you around, Sirius."

"Of course you will." He smiled and strolled away, back towards Gryffindor house. Chloe realized he still hadn't confided what was wrong. She was half tempted to stop him, but, concerned that she would push him away, she instead turned and headed up into the tower.


	3. Complexities

Three chapters in one day, and I can't even post them the day I'm writing them. Slowest two days ever.

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Lindsey sat with her back pressed against the window sill seat that Chloe was occupying in the library.

"I can't imagine Sirius being friendly," Lindsey whispered.

"Me neither. I still don't believe it happened." Chloe paused, still thinking about what Sirius said. "He is right though. Isn't it weird how closely we've been connected with those boys, but we don't know anything about them?"

"I know Remus's favorite color is yellow," Lindsey said, flipping idly through her book.

"That doesn't count. And how do you know that anyway?"

"I told him I preferred Gryffindor's gold to Hufflepuff's yellow, and he told me his favorite color is yellow."

"What an odd conversation."

"What an ironic sentence coming from you."

Chloe smacked her shoulder with her textbook.

"GIRLS!" Madame Pince hissed. They grinned sheepishly.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else. Common room?" Lindsey suggested.

"Mine's more spacious, let's go there," Chloe said.

A few minutes later, the other two members of the group had been rounded up and all four houses were represented in the Ravenclaw common room. No one really seemed to mind that the girls did this; most people were too scared to wake up with fireworks under their pillow to say anything even if they did mind.

Chloe put her foot down and insisted they all actually attempt to accomplish some homework, since everyone but her was behind; even Lily, who was normally on top of her schoolwork, found herself frantically scribbling out an essay that was due Monday. After about 20 minutes of this, Cassie looked up from her Potions essay with a bored sigh.

"So, Chloe, when are you going to ask Sirius out?"

"I'm sorry Cass, something ridiculously stupid was buzzing about in my ear, could you repeat that?"

"Don't be daft, you know what I said."

Chloe bookmarked her page before rounding on Cassie.

"I'm not asking him out. Just because we were friendly to each other doesn't mean he's my boyfriend now. And even if I did like him, well, I'm not the kind of girl to saddle up with a boyfriend, now am I?" Chloe's face turned red and she sat back in her seat, realizing she had somehow ended up on the edge of it, gripping the arm rests.

"Don't be so touchy, Chloe. I was mostly teasing. Even though it is pretty obvious—"

"Nothing is obvious," Chloe retorted, picking her book up again.

"Chloe, I know you've had a rough go of it, what with Reg and Cole, but honestly…" Lindsey started.

"I'm just…I'm not cut out for relationships, okay? Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to turn in early. Quidditch tryouts are tomorrow, and I need to be in superlative form." Chloe snatched up her books and headed upstairs, leaving her friends creasing their eyebrows in worry.

They waited until they were at the base of the tower before opening their mouths.

"I didn't mean to upset her, "Cassie said, her hurt feelings shining through her eyes.

"We know. She knows. She's just…well, we know she hasn't had the best luck in relationships. I think it's a touchy subject for her," Lily said, putting her arm around Cassie as they walked towards the hallway where their paths would fork into three different directions.

"I don't see why, it's not like the three of us have had great luck either," Lindsey muttered. "Do you see a ring on any of our fingers?"

"I think it's just she's scared. You know how much she likes to be in control," Lily said knowingly.

"Chloe? Controlling? Surely you have the wrong person," Lindsey said sarcastically. Cassie and Lily couldn't help but grin.

Chloe felt terrible. She couldn't sleep. She couldn't believe the way she'd treated her friends over a stupid git like Sirius. Sighing, she turned over on her side. She'd certainly apologize tomorrow for her abhorrent behavior, and with any luck, they would drop the whole Sirius thing. He was a friend, nothing more. Boys should be kept at a distance, Chloe reminded herself firmly, before her mind finally settled down enough to fall into slumber.


	4. Quidditch Trials

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Chloe caught up to her three friends as they were entering the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Feeling alright, Chloe?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah. I'm really sorry for the way I acted last night. I was bang out of order. It's just…you know, touchy."

"Apparently," Lindsey said, giving her a playful smile. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure I hurt your feelings, Cass. I'm really sorry."

"It's okay," Cassie said, smiling thankfully.

That afternoon found Chloe sitting in the stands on the Quidditch field, watching Gryffindor begin their tryouts. Slytherin had held their tryouts earlier that day, a beautiful, bright Saturday, perfect for Quidditch. Cassie had made the team as a Beater, just barely besting Patricia Reddington for the spot. Ravenclaw was just after Gryffindor, and she was so full of nerves she had come down to the pitch early.

"Hello, Quinn," came an all too familiar voice. Three boys were tromping up the stands to join her.

"Hello Black, Lupin, Pettigrew," Chloe said, smiling at them briefly before turning back to the Gryffindor trials.

"Where's your gang of merry ladies?" Remus asked, taking a seat next to her.

"Lily's studying, Cassie is meeting with the Slytherin captain and then meeting Lily to study, and Lindsey is psyching herself out in the locker room over Hufflepuff's trials," she replied, betraying her own nerves by tapping her foot rapidly against the seat in front of her. "What are you doing here?"

"Just come to watch our mate make Seeker again. I don't know why we bother, it's the same thing every year," Sirius said, grinning at his best friend's success.

They watched the trials, cheering for James and a few other people they knew and liked from Gryffindor. All too soon it was time for Chloe to head down to meet her troop.

"Good luck, Quinn! Show 'em what you're made of!" Sirius called after her. Remus and Peter clapped and cheered as she made her way down the stairs, causing her to blush furiously.

"Thanks a lot, now I'm just more nervous!" she called back to them.

The potential Ravenclaw team lined up in front of her, and she filed each and every name away in her mental filing drawer. She tried the Keepers first, feeling extremely nervous because their tried-and-tested Keeper had just finished his seventh year. Thankfully, she was not disappointed by the turnout. None of them missed more than two goals, but in the end only one person, a third year boy named Taylor Flynn, saved all the goals with grace and agility. She congratulated him on the spot and sent the disappointed would-be Keepers packing.

The Beaters, unfortunately, were a different story. She found herself screaming at them from the sidelines while the team's current Chasers enacted a mock game. Chloe was starting to feel like some of the Beaters were hitting them in the wrong direction on purpose. In the end, Chloe resigned herself to her two previous Beaters, two skinny girls who she would have to crack the whip on this season.

The Chasers and Seekers went smoothly, as they were all filled by previous team members. Chloe congratulated her team members, handed out practice schedules, then headed toward the locker room to check on Lindsey.

Lindsey was attempting to take deep breaths as she paced the locker room. She had really only agreed to try out for Seeker when Chloe told her that she had excellent hand-eye coordination; now, facing the idea of flying in front of all those people, she wasn't so sure anymore. She heard footsteps entering the locker room.

"Hey Lindsey, you feeling okay?"

Surprised, Lindsey wheeled around. Remus was striding toward her.

"Chloe mentioned that you were down here, feeling nervous, so I thought I'd come check on you," he continued. Lindsey grinned.

"I'm actually a nervous wreck, but what else is new?"

"You don't usually seem like one."

"Thanks, I guess." She took a seat on the bench. "How're Chloe's tryouts going?" Remus chuckled.

"They were going well until the Beaters came up. I don't think I've ever seen her yell like that before," he said.

"Sure you have…the other day, with your clever little human sushi roll prank."

"Ah, how could I forget? That was one of my better ideas," he said, smiling slyly at her.

"That was your idea? I ought to beat you," she said, laughing.

"Perhaps. It might help you get some of your nerves out," he said. Lindsey smirked.

"Careful, I might take you up on that." Just then, more footsteps could be heard outside. Chloe breezed in, looking flustered.

"Ugh, Ravenclaw is cursed with horrible Beaters!" she cried. "Oh, hello Remus. Fancy seeing you here," she said, suddenly noticing Lindsey wasn't the only person in the locker room besides herself.

"Well, I had some experience with calming James down at his first ever Quidditch trial, so I thought I'd see what I could do for Lindsey," he said.

"I can't imagine James being nervous about anything," Chloe said, amused.

"Except if his broom is shiny enough," Lindsey added. Remus couldn't help but laugh.

"Now, now ladies. James isn't THAT big headed….usually."

"Lindsey, you better get out there. Hufflepuff is getting ready to start," Chloe said. Chloe, Remus, and Lindsey walked out to the field, Chloe and Remus heading back to the stands and Lindsey nervously lining up with the rest of the Hufflepuff hopefuls.

The Seekers tried last. Lindsey gripped her broom tightly as she rose into the air. She wasn't afraid of heights, but suddenly the ground seemed very far away. All she could think about were the faces staring expectantly up at her. She willed herself to focus. Focus on searching. All she had to do was search; that wasn't so hard, was it?

She zipped around the Quidditch pitch, constantly aware of the other Seekers. Whoever could get the Snitch first the greatest number of times would be declared Seeker. That's when she saw it—drifting lazily behind one of the Beaters. She tried not to give herself away by dashing immediately for it, but made her way towards the Beater carefully, keeping her peripherals trained on the other Seekers, who still hadn't seen the golden glint. She was closing in on the Beater when the Snitch suddenly darted away and to the left—directly into another Seeker's line of vision. Lindsey bolted, hand extended as far as she could get it. The other Seeker was closing in, and it seemed as if they would collide head on. Lindsey did not let up. All she could feel was adrenaline coursing through her body, willing her on, on, on, until the other Seeker lost her nerve and dove, leaving the Snitch struggling feebly in Lindsey's hand.

Chloe and the Marauders stood up and cheered.

"She caught it! She caught it!" Chloe cried, jumping up and down ecstatically.

"She may give you a run for your money, James. Did you see how she bore down on that other Seeker?" Sirius said, clapping enthusiastically.

"Ha. We'll see. I'm no pushover," James said, though he still cheered just as loudly as the other four youths for Lindsey.

The Hufflepuff captain put them through it four more times. Lindsey caught the Snitch three out of five times. After putting Lindsey and the Seeker who caught it the other two times, Drake Lewis, through a short obstacle course, the Hufflepuff captain was finally ready to announce the new Seeker for Hufflepuff.

Chloe joined the Marauders in bounding down the stairs as the Hufflepuff captain started passing out schedules.

"Well! Did you get it? You had to have, you were fantastic!" Chloe said, barely out of breath despite the run to the field.

Lindsey stared at her feet.

"Lindsey? Are you okay?" Remus approached her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I…I…" She sniffed.

"Linds, it's okay…" Chloe started, before Lindsey looked up with a huge grin on her face.

"I got it!" she cried, jumping up and down. Since Remus was closest to her, she grabbed him and hugged him. Remus staggered from the surprise, his face going up in flames. "I'm the Seeker! I got it! I did it!" She bounded over to Chloe and tackled her, knocking her off her feet.

"Yay, you did it, now get off of me!" Chloe said, laughing as Lindsey rolled around on the ground.

"This is kinky," James said, nudging Sirius in the ribs. Chloe glared up at him before hooking her foot around his ankle and jerking his feet out from underneath him. Caught off guard, he grabbed Sirius as he fell down. James landed with a hard thud next to the two girls, and Sirius landed somewhere in between Chloe and James. Remus and Peter roared with laughter. Sirius struggled to sit up amongst the giggling, writhing bodies, and found himself nose to nose with Chloe.

"Hello," he said, blinking in surprise.

Chloe's breath caught and she felt her face grow hot.

"H-hi. This is awkward," she murmured.

"Not really." Sirius gave her his most charming smile before rolling over and squishing himself in between Chloe and James

"Okay, NOW it's kinky," James said between laughs, completely oblivious to Sirius and Chloe

"Do you two want to join the pile?" Lindsey said, still giggling in a fit of happiness and disbelief.

"Not particularly." Remus said, but another foot to the ankle quickly found Remus and Peter in the middle of the pile. After they all recovered their breath from laughing so hard, they brushed themselves off and made their way back to the castle. Chloe was hyper aware of Sirius's presence next to her as Lindsey continued to gush about her new found athleticism.


	5. Plans

I've been promoting my story. I hope more people read and review. (: Get ready for some almost canon but not quite goodness!

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

"Oh, no," Lily groaned. She nearly dropped her goblet as she looked over the day's schedule of classes.

"What's wrong?" Chloe asked through a mouthful of breakfast.

"Gryffindor has Double Potions with the Slytherins today," Lily said.

"So what?" Lindsey said. "You get a class with Cassie. She's not THAT bad at Potions, no need to get upset," she said, winking at Cassie. Cassie stuck her tongue out.

"No. Who else is a sixth year Slytherin that Slughorn ALWAYS encourages me to pair with?" Lily said. She was getting so worked up that she found it difficult to conceal her irritation with Lindsey's jokes.

Realization broke over her three friend's faces.

"Damn, Lily. So you haven't talked to him at all?" Chloe asked, concern slicing through her delicate features.

"No," Lily responded flatly.

"Not even over the summer? Surely he tried to apologize or something," Lindsey added, reaching out to touch Lily's arm.

"Sure, but it doesn't matter. It's…I can't," she said, shaking her head. "I just don't want to see him." She stared down at her plate, willing the tears in her eyes to vanish.

As they got up to leave, Chloe hung back a little. She grabbed Cassie's arm.

"Keep an eye on her. We may need to have a rendez-vous later, you know?" she told her friend. Cassie nodded.

"Don't worry, Chloe. I'll look out for her."

Lily drug Chloe into the dungeons 30 minutes before classes began. She wanted to be the first one in the classroom so she could guarantee her and her best friend a seat. She gripped Cassie's arm firmly. Cassie tolerated the pressure as best she could; she was not about to leave her friend drowning in her own anxiety.

Lily began tapping her foot impatiently as the end of the third year Gryffindor and Ravenclaw Potions class ended. Other students were showing up now, and she was determinedly staring at the door to the classroom, not bothering to look at the other faces in the ever growing crowd. Finally, at long last, the door opened and the third years poured out. Lily barely gave the last third year time to squeeze out the door before jerking Cassie into the cold classroom. She darted to a corner seat in the front row, not pausing as she flashed Slughorn a winning smile and a "Hello, Professor!" Safe against the dungeon wall with Cassie at her side, Lily breathed a sigh of relief. She wouldn't have to watch him walk in, wouldn't have to see him during class, and wouldn't have to sit next to him. True, Slughorn would probably ask her why she wasn't sitting front and center as usual, but it would be worth it. In fact, he was currently staring at her, befuddled by her out of character behavior.

The class settled in, Lily staring dead at Slughorn, pretending as if she had no peripheral vision.

"I noticed that some of you—"Slughorn looked directly at Lily, "—are eager to begin a new year with your old friends. Now, I want to see some new talent! We can't have future great minds if they only rely on the familiar, now can we?" Slughorn chuckled and waved his wand. A quill started scribbling across a piece of parchment as he spoke. "I will pull names at random. Hopefully, magic will be on our side and we will have plenty of opposite house pairings and great minds working together!" he said, beaming at his students as if he genuinely expected them to be excited by this plan. The parchment tore itself up, each piece with a name on it folding over once. Slughorn stirred the paper pile, creating a mini whirlwind on his desk.

Lily watched in anticipation as he plucked two pieces of parchment out at a time, but her name didn't come up. She wanted to claw at the desk, tear her hair out, and run screaming from the room. It felt like hours before he called out:

"Cassandra Matchitehew and…oh, Frank Longbottom! Wonderful! Mister Longbottom is a very talented student, Miss Matchitehew, you can learn a lot from him," Slughorn said. Cassie shot Lily a pained look before shuffling over to the back of the room, where Frank was seated. Lily was literally gripping the edges of her chair now. Four more slips of parchment later and James Potter, her last hope, was paired with Lucius Malfoy. She barely had time to reflect on how hilarious that was bound to be before she was jerked back to reality.

"Lily Evans! Oh, a brilliant little lady! Now, who is her lucky partner?" He swirled the names for what felt like an eternity before drawing out another slip of parchment.

"Severus Snape! Wonderful, my two brightest Potions students! I expect great things from you two!" Slughorn said, his face alight in excitement.

Lily barely heard his words; she was too busy pondering how ironic this situation was in light of all her planning to avoid this exact debacle. She was surprised the desk didn't cave underneath the weight of her gaze as Severus eased into the seat next to her, carefully keeping his distance. Her face was hot; in fact, the air between them seemed on the verge of combustion. Her fingertips felt numb, and her heart was beating so fast she almost swore Severus could hear it about to explode out of her chest.

Neither of them spoke; only a few more names remained after theirs, and then the lesson began. Lily focused all of her nervous energy into taking meticulous, detailed notes. As the class drew to a close, Lily found herself regretting her seat against the wall; now she would have to pass Severus to escape and couldn't simply flee from the room without looking back.

Lily didn't even write down the homework assignment; she was too busy shoveling her possessions into her satchel. As Slughorn dismissed them, she stood up so quickly that she banged her knee against the desk. She promptly sat back down again, unable to cope with so much emotional and physical stress at once. Tears sprung up at the edges of her eyes. She noticed that the classroom was nearly empty through the misty haze. Cassie was waiting outside the door; she hadn't seen what happened and was probably expecting Lily to come sprinting out at any second.

"Lily, are you okay?" Severus asked quietly. Lily gritted her teeth and stood up swiftly, swinging her satchel over her shoulder.

"F-fine, thank you," she spat out. She tried not to look at him, tried to desperately to shut out his voice, this boy who had caused her so much pain who…who was now looking at her with deep sadness and concern in his bottomless eyes.

"Lily?" Cassie had finally come to the rescue. The tears poured out as Cassie grabbed her arm and led her out of the classroom. Severus watched Lily start bawling onto Cassie's shoulder as soon as they cleared the threshold, and felt his heart twist even tighter for what he had done to her.

That evening, Chloe, Lindsey, and Cassie sat on the floor around the fire in the Gryffindor common room, consoling Lily with sweets. They had managed to coax some desserts out of the house elves in the kitchen to use as bandages for Lily's emotional wounds.

"Nothing cures an aching heart like chocolate," Chloe said, grinning at the sugar-only picnic they had laid out before Lily.

"My heart isn't aching," Lily snapped. "I hit my knee."

"Oh please, Lily. It's okay. We understand. He was your best friend," Chloe said, putting her arm around Lily. The portrait hole opened suddenly.

"Hello, ladies," James said smoothly. Sirius stepped through after him.

"Do tell us how you managed to rob Honeyduke's blind," Sirius said, staring with approval at their load of sweets. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"If you put your feminine charms to use every now and then, you may be able to get what you want without resorting to such boorish behavior," Chloe said with a sardonic grin.

"Noticed my feminine charms, have you? Sounds like Quinn is on the turn," Sirius said to James.

"You just admitted to being a girl, mate," James said.

"Just because I'm charming doesn't make me a girl," Sirius said. "I'm a man of many talents." He shot Chloe a wink. Chloe immediately turned scarlet, which elicited a chuckle from Sirius.

"Evans, what's the matter?" James said suddenly, striding over to them and kneeling by the couch where they were sitting. Lily went rigid and turned away from him.

"Hard day. Failed all her homework assignments," Lindsey said solemnly. James snorted.

"Please. Well, if you want to tell me what's really wrong, my shoulder is every bit as comfortable as hers," he said with a playful smile. He ruffled her hair as he and Sirius made their way up to the boy's dormitory.

"Gits," Lily muttered, wiping away the tears that were still in her eyes. The other three girls chuckled.

"At least he was trying to be nice for once," Cassie said, smiling sympathetically. "That's a nice change."

"How's the knee?" Lindsey asked. Lily pulled back her robes and skirt. A huge, purplish knot was forming on her knee.

"It hurts. I wasn't paying attention at all," Lily muttered. The other three girls gave each other knowing looks.

"Lily…I really think you should try to talk to Snape," Chloe said tentatively.

"Severus."

"Whatever. My point is, he was your best friend. He was your first tie to the wizarding world. I know what he said to you was terrible, but you have to admit, James and his friends were huge pricks to him," Chloe said, rubbing Lily's back as she spoke.

"I mean, I understand that, but it…it just hurt so much, you know? He told me himself when we were little that coming from a Muggle family didn't matter," Lily said, staring at her hands sadly.

"And it doesn't. But doesn't he have a really crappy family life with a Muggle father?" Lindsey asked.

"Yeah, he does."

"Well, I'm not saying that's an excuse, but I can see why that would put a bad flavor on Muggles for him," Lindsey continued.

"Muggles are people, not snacks, Lindsey. You sound like a Slytherin," Cassie said, smirking.

"Shut up, you bint. You know what I meant," Lindsey said, tossing a pillow at her.

"The point is," Chloe continued over their squabble, "you obviously miss his friendship. Even if we think his friends are creepy and that he needs a shower—"

"Chloe!"

"I'm sorry Lil, it's probably your fault, he probably doesn't have the energy to do much more than go to class…"

"Don't blame me! He should have watched his mouth," Lily grumped.

"What Chloe is trying to say is that despite his numerous flaws, you seem to have done some good in his life. Maybe you could just try to talk to him," Lindsey said. Lily pondered this, and nodded.

"He did try to apologize several times."

"Precisely. I think he really is sorry, Lily," Chloe said. Lindsey checked her watch and stood up suddenly.

"Where do you think you're going? We still have desserts to finish!" Cassie said.

"Oh, Remus and I were going to work on some homework together," Lindsey said casually.

"Ooooh!" the other girls squealed.

"Lindsey and Remus sitting in a tree…" Chloe began.

"Shut up! It's not like that. I just need help with Defense Against the Dark Arts!" Lindsey protested, blushing furiously. She darted from the common room as the girls collapsed in giggles, prompting a prefect to pop his head in from upstairs and yell at them for being in the wrong common room.


	6. Studying

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Lindsey scurried down the hallway as quickly as possible. She was running late for her study break with Remus. She felt bad for leaving Lily while she was upset, but she rationalized that Chloe and Cassie were doing a fine job of keeping her company.

She turned another corner and saw Remus waiting for her in front of the wall that would soon become the Room of Requirement.

"Hey, Lindsey," Remus said, smiling warmly as she approached.

"Hello. Thanks again for coming out here to help me," she said gratefully.

"It's no problem," he replied. They concentrated on their need, passed the wall three times, and were soon entering a plush room lined with comfy chairs, desks, and textbooks on shelves. They sat down on one of the couches and pulled out their textbooks.

"Is Lily okay?" Remus asked.

"How did you know anything was wrong?"

"She's looked upset all day. It wasn't easy to miss." Lindsey nodded; Lily had been in a fit all day after her Potions class.

"I don't really think it's my place to say. It's kind of personal," she said.

"I understand. I bet I know what it's about, though," Remus said.

"Oh yeah? Shall I add 'mind reader' to your list of magical abilities?" Lindsey said sarcastically. Remus chuckled.

"No, but I was there the day Snape bit her head off. She was really torn up about it. That's the only time I've really seen her upset, so…" he trailed off, shrugging.

"Yeah, you're right. But don't say anything, okay? It's really difficult for her." They fell into an awkward silence while they arranged their textbooks and got their study materials out.

"So tell me something about yourself. You're a secretive person," Lindsey said, trying to break the silence. Remus chuckled.

"You think so? What do you think I'm hiding?" he asked. There was a strange sense of urgency behind his voice, a touch of worry creasing the corners of his eyes.

"Nothing really. Unless you're secretly a Death Eater or something, I don't think you could really surprise me. My friends and I are pretty screwed up, you know," she said, smiling thoughtfully. Remus laughed outright at that; Lindsey looked offended.

"What? You don't know anything about us," she said roughly.

"No, no, I'm sorry. Really, I didn't mean to be rude. It's just…you don't seem screwed up to me," he said gently.

"Well, I am," she said, still agitated. Remus truly looked upset now.

"Oh, come on Lindsey, I'm sorry. Don't say that," he said, his eyebrows pulled down to match his concerned frown. Lindsey smiled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get all serious on you. It's just…you know, I never really had a decent family. I get really defensive of my friends," she said, folding and unfolding a corner of a page of her Defense Against the Dark Arts book. "We're kind of a band of misfits, unlike you guys. You all seem to have pretty normal lives." Remus sighed.

"I wish that were true. I suppose James has had a pretty normal life, and Peter for the most part…"

"My point exactly," Lindsey said, cutting him off.

"We're not all normal, though. I mean, Sirius has had enough family problems for sixteen Marauders," Remus continued. Lindsey laughed mirthlessly.

"Family problems. Right. I could write the book on family problems." The corner of the page gave way under her constant folding and pulling; now she balled it up between her fingers.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be presumptuous. You just…you seem so happy all the time. I can't imagine you having any problems," he said. Lindsey grinned.

"So I'm a good actress?" she said. "Great. Maybe I'll win an award for it." They were silent for a moment before Remus spoke again.

"So…if you don't mind my asking, what could possibly be so terrible at home that you're not as happy as you seem?" he asked tentatively.

"Oh, don't get me wrong. I am happy, most of the time. It's just…you know, it's hard to handle sometimes. My mom left our family for some incredible git that liked to hit her, so my dad married a woman who could have quite possibly been a slave driver in another life, and my sisters and I just kind of drifted away from each other…" she trailed off, her eyes staring off into a world Remus couldn't see.

"I'm really sorry, Lindsey. That's terrible." He placed his hand awkwardly on her forearm in an attempt to comfort her. "I understand why you consider your friends your family though. Even if they do give us hell constantly." He grinned at her, hoping to lighten the mood. Lindsey offered a small smile.

"Yeah, they're really the best mates a girl could ask for. But enough about me. Tell me your sob story," Lindsey said, leaning in closer to him. "What makes you not normal?"

There was a brief moment of hesitation where something—worry? fear?—flitted across Remus's eyes.

"I'm…I don't have any secrets," he said. "No family drama or serious problems or anything like that." He shook his head. "I'm dangerously boring."

"Nonsense. Surely there's something?" Lindsey said. "Come on, I told you something really personal about myself!" She gave him an extremely exaggerated pout, which made him chuckle.

"Nope. No skeletons in this closet," Remus said, not quite meeting Lindsey's eyes.

"Hmm…I guess I believe you," Lindsey said finally.

Two and a half hours later, Lindsey realized that she now knew that Remus's birthday was March 10, that he secretly hated being a Prefect, and that he had tried to convince his parents to let him have a pet hippogriff as a child, but absolutely nothing new about Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Wow, it's really late and I didn't help you with your homework at all. I'm sorry," Remus said after he realized what time it was.

"Oh, it's okay. I learned something new regardless," she said, grinning playfully. They packed up their stuff and exited the Room of Requirement. Lindsey was in the middle of telling Remus about the pranks she and her sisters used to pull on each other when they realized they were in front of the Hufflepuff common room.

"Well, thanks for keeping me company, even though it did absolutely nothing good for my homework progress," Lindsey said, though it was obvious it didn't bother her much.

"Oh, well, you're welcome. I guess I will see you tomorrow then," Remus responded. He hesitated a moment before awkwardly hugging her. Lindsey felt her heart start a race with her breathing pattern as she returned the hug; then Remus was walking away and she was making her way to her bedroom, her head buzzing as she got ready for bed.

The next morning, Lindsey was the first to arrive at their meeting spot for the walk to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Good morning!" Lindsey chirped as Chloe came around the corner.

"What the hell are you so excited about?" Chloe said sleepily. She was definitely not a morning person.

"Oh, I just like putting you in a bad mood, is all," Lindsey said, throwing her arms around Chloe in a sudden bear hug.

"Oi, what's gotten into you! Are you on the turn?" Chloe said. Then suddenly, she got a mischievous look in her eyes. "Oooh I know what this is about…so I guess your DATE with Lupin went well?" Chloe said with a smirk. Lindsey's face immediately flared up.

"It wasn't a date! We did…well, we were going to do homework!" Lindsey stammered.

"Going to? What happened?" Lily asked. She had just walked up. "Remus got in awful late last night. What were you kids doing?"

"Nothing! We just, you know, we ended up talking about stuff, and it wasn't homework, and I don't know, it just, you know…" Lindsey stuttered, biting her lip nervously.

"Not homework? I'm SO surprised! I thought you two nerds were just going to sit around, ALONE, and do homework all night!" Now Cassie had joined the party. The other three girls cornered Lindsey.

"What happened? Did he kiss you?" Chloe asked, making a puckering face and smooching noises at Lindsey.

"No! We just talked! I…I don't know. It just, I don't know, I told him things that only you guys know about me," she said quietly. "Somehow it just felt okay to tell him, you know?"

"Well, as long as you're happy, I say go for it. You deserve to be happy," Chloe said genuinely, smiling at her best friend.

"We're still going to tease you mercilessly, though," Cassie said.

"Thanks a lot, guys. I don't know what I'd do without friends like you," Lindsey said, rolling her eyes.

Lily knew she was probably going to be late for class, but she darted down the hallways in the opposite direction of her Transfiguration class anyway. There he was, waiting outside his Charms class with the Hufflepuffs and Slytherins. Lindsey was there; she gave Lily an encouraging nod and smile as Lily pushed her way to the back wall where Severus Snape was standing. Severus looked startled as Lily walked up to him.

"Hey, Sev," she said awkwardly, trying to look at ease in front of him. He smiled at the use of his old nickname, though he still wrung his hands nervously.

"Hey, Lils," he said. "What…um, what's up?"

"I just wanted to see if you were doing anything tonight. Maybe we could take a stroll by the lake. It's been a while since we've done that." Lily tugged nervously at a strand of hair that was waving in front of her face. Severus nodded vigorously.

"Yeah! I mean, yeah, I would like that. Same time, same place?" he asked.

"Yeah. Well, I've got to run to class. See you tonight." She waved and headed back the way she came, the nervousness finally melting out of her as she made her way back towards Transfiguration.


	7. Conflicted

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Lily waited at their meeting spot, a statue of Berliose the Bold on the first floor, nervously tugging at her hair. She was incredibly early; she found it difficult to sit still when she was anxious. Her friends had given her words of support, but she couldn't help being overly nervous. She saw a figure making its way down the hallway. She squeezed herself into the tiny space behind the statue; it was past curfew, and as a Prefect she certainly could not afford to be caught out of bed after hours. But it wasn't a teacher; it was Severus. He was early, too. Lily wriggled out from behind the statute.

"Hey, Sev!" she said quietly. Severus jumped; he hadn't seen Lily until she snuck up on him. Lily giggled.

"Lily! You scared me half to death!" Severus said.

"Sorry," she said, still trying to hold back giggles. Severus smiled and shook his head.

"You're ridiculous."

They snuck onto the grounds and out to the lake. The moonlight washed the grounds in a beautiful pale haze. They walked around the perimeter of the lake. Eventually, Severus broke the strained silence.

"So, uh…why did you want to do this?" he asked.

"Well, I just…I don't know. I felt like maybe we should talk about things again. Except this time, you know, I'd actually listen," she said, sitting down in the grass. Severus joined her.

"I really am sorry Lily. I wish I could make you see how sorry I am. I was humiliated, I—"

"I was just trying to help you," Lily muttered defensively. Severus looked hurt.

"I know, Lily. I just, I was so angry, so embarrassed, and everyone was there, including the guys from Slytherin, it just…it just slipped out. It was terrible. I'm sorry."

"Still…how did it just 'slip out'? Obviously you have a prejudice against people like me or it would have never come to your mind anyway…" she said, tugging at blades of grass. Severus sighed.

"Well, I guess I am. It's hard not to be. I hated Muggles ever since my dad and then your sister—"

"Don't say anything about Petunia!" Lily said suddenly, glaring at him.

"I wasn't! She just was never nice to me, or you for that matter," he said, shying away from her sudden outburst. Lily sighed.

"Yeah, I suppose that's true. But still, that's two people. Two people don't make up an entire populace," she said.

"I know, Lils. Until that day, you were the only exception for me. I didn't care that you had Muggle parents because you were Lily, and you're so…so…" He faltered for a minute, seeming to struggle to find the right word. He looked immensely embarrassed.

"So what, Sev?"

"Special," he said finally.

"Special?"

"Yes. You were my first real friend. My only real friend," he said softly. "And because of that, it's easy for me to forget you have Muggle parents…but the guys would never leave me alone about it. They teased me constantly, and I guess just with that on my mind, something in me snapped."

"I guess I understand that," Lily said slowly, lying down in the grass. "But it still hurt, Sev. And I still don't like your creepy Slytherin friends. You were the one person that told me being Muggle born didn't matter, and then for you to call me…to call me that…" Tears started up at the corner of her eyes. Severus laid down next to her and rolled over on his side to look at her.

"Lily…please don't cry. I'm sorry. I'm an idiot, a complete and total git." He wiped one of the tears off her cheek with his thumb. "I'm so sorry," he said again. Lily smiled and took hold of his hand while it was on her face. His hand was surprisingly warm and soft, and there was a moment where the whole world suddenly seemed to be full of electricity; it crackled through the air and Lily felt her stomach clench up through the tension. Her eyes were locked on his; there was so much pain and regret in his dark eyes that she couldn't even think of what to say or do.

"Don't say those things," Lily whispered finally, releasing his hand. The air slowly returned to normal and she turned to stare fixedly at the sky. They were quiet for a minute.

"It's going to take some time for me to trust you again," Lily said finally. "But…I have missed you." Severus was lying on his back now, but still looking at her. She scooted closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. "I missed my best friend," she said quietly.

Severus awkwardly wriggled his arm out and put it behind her, around her shoulders.

"I missed you too, Lils," he whispered.

Lily rounded the corner to the Gryffindor common room and stifled a yell. She hadn't expected the entirety of the Corsaires to be awaiting her return.

"Bloody hell, you girls scared me half to death!" she hissed.

"Did you really think we were just going to go to bed?" Lindsey asked, crossing her arms.

"Yeah, Lily, we want to know what happened!" Cassie whispered. Lily let them into the common room and they all took seats on the couch, where she began telling the story.

"Wow. So he didn't kiss you?" Chloe asked, sounding a bit indignant.

"Er, no. I wasn't aware he was supposed to," Lily retorted.

"But you guys definitely had a moment," Lindsey pointed out. Lily blushed and shrugged uncomfortably.

"I mean…I don't know. I never thought about it that way, but it did give me butterflies when he touched my face." Her blush was now matching her hair.

"Awww! That's so cute, Lily!" Lindsey squealed.

"So what are you going to do? What's the next step?" Chloe asked eagerly.

"Well…I don't know. I'm still working out our trust issues, so I suppose we'll just take it day by day," she said. "Now you girls really need to get to bed. I'm a terrible Prefect for allowing you to stay out like this," she joked. They obliged and made their way to the portrait hole.

As Lily turned and started for the dormitories, she heard the portrait open again. She turned, and James was stepping through.

"What kind of mischief has you out at this hour?" Lily asked casually.

"Oh, you know, just setting a few traps for unsuspecting first years," he said with a wink. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Nah, I was really just practicing Quidditch," he said. "No mischief…for now."

"Practicing? I thought all your skill came out of that big head of yours," she teased.

"Ahh, you would think that, but the big head is just for attracting beautiful ladies. The skill comes from sweat and blood," he said, shooting her a wink. Lily rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but grin.

"Goodnight, you arrogant prat," she said, turning back to the staircase.

"Try not to dream about me too much, will you? It may make your dorm mates uncomfortable!" James called, laughing as he retreated up the other staircase. Lily's face flared up again, and she went to bed feeling annoyed and confused.

A few days later found Chloe stomping out onto the grounds in a huff. She was headed for the Quidditch pitch to alleviate her frustrations through some practice. She knew the Marauders were annoying sometimes, but today she was just not in the mood for having every statue in the castle jump out and grab her. After being late to class twice, she finally encountered James in the hallway and yelled at him to reverse the spell. He merely laughed and walked away, leaving her fuming. She spent all of her Charms class trying to figure out the counter spell, which eventually she did, though now she was a bit behind on her notes in Charms.

All of this made her extremely unhappy. When she heard someone yelling her name and trying to catch up with her, she didn't slow down. Unfortunately, they caught up with her anyway.

"Hey Quinn, what's the rush?" Sirius Black asked, trotting up beside her. She turned her furious glare on him.

"You stupid boys! Making me late to class when I've already had a bad day and getting me behind in Charms and just…UGH!" She threw up her in hands in frustration as she continued her march to the Quidditch pitch.

"Hey now, that was James's idea, not mine!" he said defensively. "Though I did bewitch the ones on the third floor…" he muttered. Chloe glared at him.

"Well, thank you so very much," she snapped.

"You're welcome. Why are you having such a bad day?" Sirius inquired.

"As if you are truly concerned," she snapped, unlocking the door to the locker room. "You're not following me in here," she said. Sirius shrugged.

"If you insist. I was just wondering why your day was so bad," he said. Chloe rolled her eyes and shut the door in his face.

As Chloe changed into more comfortable Quidditch attire, her anger ebbed and she started to feel bad for her icy treatment of Sirius. This did nothing to elevate her mood. Sighing, she grabbed her broom and headed out the door with the Quaffle. She mounted her broom and rose into the sky. She conjured up a fake goalie to hover around the posts as she zoomed about the pitch. She made every shot she took, and was feeling especially good about a backhanded throw when she heard someone yelling from the stands.

"Beautiful shot! Very nice!" someone was yelling. She flew a bit lower and nearly fell off her broom; Sirius was sitting in the stands, watching her practice! Shaking her head, she got rid of the goalie and made her way back down to solid ground. Sirius met her outside the locker room after she had stowed her broom and Quidditch clothes.

"You've got a real skill for Chasing," he said, grinning. They started walking back toward the castle.

"When did you get so nice? What are you hiding up your sleeve?" Chloe asked suspiciously. Sirius laughed.

"Can't I just be nice? You were nice to me when I had a bad day, so I'm just returning the favor. We can call it even and go back to barely speaking after, if it makes you feel better," he said with a shrug.

"No, that won't be necessary," Chloe said, shaking her head rather fervently. "But you never told me what was wrong, so you obviously cannot reciprocate an action that was never taken," she said, feeling smug that she had found the hole in his logic.

"Ah, yes. Well, I was just having family problems," he said, somewhat bitterly. "My parents are rather against my choices that don't involve associating with future Death Eaters. So basically, everything I do, they hate," he said. Chloe nodded.

"And here I am irritated that my mother can't seem to break up with my ex-boyfriend," she muttered. Sirius stared at her.

"Sorry, come again?" Chloe laughed.

"No, not literally! I just mean that my mom simply adores my ex-boyfriend, and if anyone needs to be broken up with, it's her. She doesn't understand why I don't give him another chance," she said, rolling her eyes.

"And why don't you? Found someone else to shower your affections on?" Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrows at her. She laughed again.

"No. You look ridiculous when you do that."

"Are you sure you haven't?" He wiggled his eyebrows again, which made Chloe laugh harder.

"Stop doing that!" she giggled.

"Why? I like your laugh. It's adorable," he said, throwing an arm around her shoulders. Chloe stopped laughing, and her breath caught in her throat. She blushed, and then shrugged out from under his arm. They were in the castle now, nearly to Ravenclaw tower.

"I, um, I have to…I have to go," Chloe mumbled, sprinting down the hall and up the stairs, leaving Sirius feeling confused and, for once, rejected.


	8. Changes

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Before they knew it, September had slid into October, and Halloween was only a week away. Lindsey was assisting Remus and Madame Pince in decorating the library for Halloween, laughing as he told her about a childhood Halloween where his dad created a haunted house and scared every child in the neighborhood half to death. Remus was just finishing his story when Sirius walked into the library. He spotted his friends and made his way toward them.

"Sirius! I wasn't aware you even knew where the library was. What are you doing here?" Remus said. Sirius cracked a small smile for his friend, but turned to Lindsey.

"Lindsey, can I talk to you for a minute?" he asked. He seemed urgent, almost desperate. Lindsey shot Remus a confused look, but nodded.

"Sure, okay." She followed Sirius to a deserted corner of the library near the restricted section.

"Lindsey, I need your help," Sirius began. "It's…well, it's about Chloe."

Lindsey bit her lip. She already knew where this was going.

"She's been avoiding me," Sirius said with a sigh. "I don't know what I did, but she dodges me every time she sees me." Lindsey hesitated, choosing her words.

"Well, Sirius…I don't really know what to tell you, it's Chloe's personal business…" she said.

"Lindsey, I appreciate your loyalty to your friend, but please be honest with me. There's something about Chloe. I don't know what it is, but I don't see her as a…as a _conquest_, I suppose, like most other girls. Ever since that first serious conversation we had at the beginning of term, I can't stop thinking about her, and I don't know what I did to drive her off…it's a weird situation for me, you know?" He cocked a half amused smile.

Lindsey couldn't help but be moved by Sirius's words. She knew good and well why Chloe was ducking behind statues and tapestries to avoid Sirius; her commitment issues, her insecurities, and her fears of being hurt again. Lindsey didn't think these were good excuses, but she understood. Chloe liked to be in control, and she hated the feeling of losing it over a guy, especially when every relationship she had been in had led to devastation. Naturally, Lindsey couldn't tell Sirius all of this; that would be Chloe's responsibility.

"Sirius, I'm sorry, but it isn't my story to tell." Sirius opened his mouth, a look of frustration marring his handsome features. "But," Lindsey continued, cutting him off, "I will try to talk to her and get her to see sense. I know she wouldn't be acting this way if there wasn't something in her that felt the same way you do." She gave him a comforting smile.

"Thanks so much, Lindsey. There's a visit to Hogsmeade this weekend, do you think you could convince her to meet me in the Three Broomsticks?" Sirius asked, hope glimmering in his eyes. Lindsey nodded.

"Even if she doesn't agree, I'll get her in there somehow. I can be very…persuasive," she said, grinning.

They departed and Lindsey made her way back to Remus. He had nearly finished with the decorations in her absence.

"What was that all about?" Remus asked as he finished with the last of the levitating pumpkin lanterns.

"Chloe's been avoiding Sirius, and he wanted me to get her to talk him," Lindsey said, turning to a nearby bookshelf to finish transforming its colors to black and orange. Remus nodded.

"I figured it would be something like that. Poor sod, he's been pestering me for weeks about what to say to her. I never thought I'd see the day Sirius would be asking anyone for advice on girls," he said, shaking his head.

"Really?" Lindsey asked, surprised. She finished putting fake cobwebs on her newly colored bookshelves and turned toward Remus. "I can't believe he cares so much."

"Me neither. Like I said, I've never seen him like this before. I'm all done here, would you like to get lunch?" Lindsey nodded happily, and they headed toward the Great Hall.

They took their food to the lake. They didn't have much time left until afternoon classes started, but they ate at a leisurely pace anyway.

"So, are we planning on studying again tonight?" Lindsey asked happily. They had been meeting regularly for the past few weeks, though they mostly talked about their families and lives outside of Hogwarts instead of actually studying.

"What's today's date again?" he asked.

"The twenty-second. Why?"

Remus froze with his sandwich halfway to his mouth.

"Umm, I can't," he said, trying to play off his sudden reaction as coolly as possible. Lindsey raised her eyebrow.

"Sneaking off to study with some other girl?" she said jokingly. The joke was only to hide the worry and nerves that were suddenly brewing in her stomach. Remus gave a short half-laugh.

"No, no, I just…I forgot that I have detention tonight," he said.

"….Detention?" Lindsey said, clearly disbelieving.

"Yeah. I got roped into one of James's more damaging pranks and McGonagall gave us detention," he said, staring out over the lake.

"Damaging? I didn't hear about that," Lindsey said.

"We tried to keep it quiet, you know? Anyways, how about next week?" he said.

"Er, okay, I guess," Lindsey said, still eyeing him with curiosity.

"Great. Well I better get off to class, wouldn't look good for a Prefect to be late!" he said, jumping to his feet and heading back toward the castle. Lindsey sat there, completely befuddled, before realizing that she needed to get to class too.

To Lindsey's relief, the Hufflepuffs had Charms with Ravenclaw as their last class, so she seized her opportunity as class ended.

"So, Chloe, I wanted to ask you about something," Lindsey started as they made their way to the Great Hall to meet Lily and Cassie.

"Sure, Linds. What's up?"

"Well, I know you've been avoiding Sirius and he's really upset about it. I think you should talk to him," Lindsey said quickly. She nearly physically recoiled from the sharp side of Chloe's tongue that was bound to come out. Sure enough, Chloe's eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean? I haven't been avoiding him! I just…haven't been going out of my way to talk to him! I'm busy. I'm a Prefect! I'm Quidditch captain! Do you have any idea —?"

"Chloe, cram it. That's crud and you know it. I saw you literally dive behind a tapestry as Sirius came 'round the corner the other day," Lindsey said, stopping in her tracks and folding her arms of her chest. Chloe imitated the gesture.

"Why does it matter? Sirius is known to be a player, he just loves the chase, is all," Chloe said defensively.

"This isn't like that, Chloe. I talked to him, and he really wants to talk to you. And besides, this isn't about him at all, you know this is about you and your fear of losing control of your emotions," Lindsey said. Chloe stiffened; she was not one to back down or admit she was wrong easily. Lindsey sighed.

"Look Chloe, please just talk to him. Please? Don't make me tickle you to death. I would hate to do that to you," she continued, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. Chloe knew Lindsey's Tickling Jinx was wicked and unrelenting. Regardless, Chloe did not like the jab her pride would take from backing down.

"I…I don't know. What would I say? 'Sorry, I'm a bloody wreck, don't waste your time'?" Chloe said sarcastically. Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"As true as that would be…I don't think that's necessary. Just hear the poor guy out. He wants you to meet him at the Three Broomsticks on the Hogsmeade trip this weekend," Lindsey said. They had continued walking again and were nearly to the Great Hall. Chloe grumbled under her breath.

"Fine, I suppose." Lindsey grinned and hugged Chloe.

"Yay! You're finally coming out of your self-imposed shell! I'm so proud of you!" Chloe struggled to push her off.

"Don't make me change my mind already, you twit," she said snappishly.

Lily was running late for dinner. She was in a towering temper; she had caught James tormenting a couple of first years. Though she usually found his pranks amusing, bewitching an eleven-year-old's robes to trip them every time they tried to take a step was border-line cruel. She was digging through her satchel in search of her watch when she thudded into someone. She toppled backwards and fell on her backside, scattering books out of her satchel.

"Lily! I'm so sorry!" Severus yelped. He was beet red. He knelt down to help her collect her books. Lily tried to shake away her temper.

"It's okay Sev. I wasn't watching where I was going," she grumbled, scooping her things into her bag. Severus extended a hand to help her up, which she took.

"Are you okay?" he asked, looking highly embarrassed.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile for him.

"You look upset," he said. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Sev, I'm fine. Just annoyed. Being a Prefect can be taxing sometimes," she said. Severus nodded.

"Yeah. Hey Lily, I was meaning to ask you—" But at that moment, a shrill shriek filled the hallway.

"Merlin, what now!" Lily cried, rubbing her temples in aggravation. A tiny second year girl came barreling around the corner, and another girls' voice followed her.

"Whats wrong, you sniveling little Mudblood? Can't take a joke?" Lily stiffened, not only at the insult but at the voice. She had dealt with this girl before, a fourth year Slytherin who liked to pick on younger Muggleborns.

As the burly fourth year, Helen Carraway, came around the corner, Lily went to intercept her, but before she could, Severus had stepped in front of her.

"What the hell, exactly, are you doing?" he hissed at the girl. Carraway stopped in her tracks. The young second year saw Lily and clung to her, whimpering like a kicked animal.

"Who the bloody hell are you? Get out of my way! What do you care about dirty, cowering Mudbloods for anyway?" Carraway said, trying to shove past Severus. He grabbed her arm.

"If I ever hear you use that word again," Severus said, quietly but with enough force to make Carraway's eyes go wide, "I swear on Merlin's grave I will use you as a practice dummy for my hexes. Got it?" He sneered viciously at her. "Pathetic." She jerked her arm free, glared at them for a minute, but ultimately turned on her heel and darted back the way she came.

Severus immediately turned around and faced the second year.

"Are you okay?" he asked. The girl sniffled and nodded; Lily's arm was around her shoulder. Severus smiled at her kindly.

"Don't cry. That girl is a big bully. She just needs someone to set her straight. Don't you listen to her for a minute, okay?" he said. The girl nodded shyly and mumbled "thank you" before trotting away in the opposite direction.

Lily stared at Severus in dumbfounded shock. Her mouth worked around words that she didn't know how to verbalize. Severus cocked his head.

"What's wrong…?" he asked.

Lily took a step toward him. These past few weeks, they had reinstated their occasional nighttime walks around the lake; those moments flashed through her mind as moments where she slowly began to see Severus as the person he used to be. But now he seemed like a totally new person.

Severus was beginning to look uneasy now. "Er, Lils?"

She closed the distance between them swiftly. She stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him on the lips. There was a sharp intake of breath from him as his body reacted to the shock of her kissing him, but soon his hands were on her waist, trembling slightly as he held her close to him.

His lips were warm and soft on hers; she ran her tongue lightly over his bottom lip, begging for entrance. Their tongues wrestled together as the kiss deepened; months of pent up emotions came flooding out all at once between their lips. Lily pulled back, her breath coming in ragged, short gasps. She stared into Severus's eyes; he stared back with equal intensity.

"I…I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," she said softly, pulling back a bit. Severus's hands were still on her waist.

"Sorry? Why on Earth would you be sorry?" he murmured. Lily was blushing furiously.

"I…that was…rash, of me, I suppose," she breathed.

"Do I look offended to you?" he teased. Lily giggled.

"No, I guess not." Severus smiled and kissed the top of her head. They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Lily suddenly remembered what time it was.

"Merlin! We're late for dinner!" she yelped.

They took off down the hallway together, Lily's mind racing. She found herself constantly looking over at Severus, smiling so much she thought her face might split right in two. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy, and couldn't wait to see the girl's reactions when she told them what just happened.


	9. Walls

I'm hoping for more reviews so I can make the story better. Wink wink! (:

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Cassie sat by the lake, lazily braiding flowers together into a headband. It was something she used to do as a child to calm herself whenever her father would start yelling. She would always return inside once the screaming and shouting stopped, find her mother, and give her the flowers. Though her mom was usually crying (and sometimes bleeding), she always took the flowers, put them in her hair, and thanked her daughter before giving her a bone-crushing hug.

Cassie sighed and leaned her head back against the tree she was sitting against. Just yesterday, Lily had come sprinting into the Great Hall to tell them about her kiss with Severus; in just a few hours, Chloe would be going to meet Sirius in the Three Broomsticks. Chloe insisted it wasn't a date, but Cassie was no moron.

"Why not me?" Cassie muttered under her breath.

"Why not you what?" a voice came behind her. Cassie lunged to her feet, dropping the flowers. She tore her wand out of her pocket.

"Calm down, it's just me," came a timid voice. Peter Pettigrew stepped out from his hiding place.

"Merlin's bloody beard, Pettigrew! You scared me half to death! What are you doing sneaking around here anyway?" Cassie said, her heart still pounding wildly from the scare as she put her wand away.

"Just wandering. Sirius, Remus, and James are going to Hogsmeade, and I usually just end up getting in their way, so…"he trailed off, staring across the lake.

"What do you mean? You guys are best friends," Cassie said, picking up her flowers and taking her seat again. Peter sat next to her, chuckling.

"Don't kid yourself. Everyone knows I'm just the bumbling tag-along," he said sourly. Cassie frowned.

"Why would you say that? I don't think people see you that way," she said, beginning to twist the flowers into a headband again.

"Well, they do, but thanks anyway," Peter grumbled.

"Well, you shouldn't let them. Try standing up for yourself every now and then," she suggested. Peter stared at her.

"Maybe I will. Thanks," he said, smiling a little. "So what are you out here complaining about?" he teased.

"Oh, you know. Everyone's in love except for me," she said, shrugging off the lump forming in her stomach and making its way to her throat. She would never tell anyone that she had yet to have a real boyfriend; it killed her that her friends were showered with affection from boys, but she remained unseen in the background.

"Ahh, yeah. Girls never pay me much attention, 'specially with Sirius and James around," Peter said.

"I know what you mean," Cassie said bitterly. "I've never…never gotten much attention from guys with the other girls around," she continued, holding back her secret still.

"Sure," Peter said disbelievingly. "I'm positive you could have your pick of the blokes at Hogwarts." Cassie blushed.

"Well, thanks, Peter. They seem to disagree, though," she joked. She checked her watch.

"I've gotta run, I'm meeting Lindsey for the Hogsmeade trip. Thanks for talking to me," she said, smiling genuinely at him.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Peter said, offering a smile in return. Cassie trotted off for the castle, feeling immensely better.

Meanwhile, Lily and Severus were practically dragging Chloe down the Ravenclaw tower stairs.

"Chloe, I can understand why the thought of being alone with Sirius Black may repel you—"

"Severus!"

"—but for some demented reason, you obviously fancy him—"

"SEVERUS!" Lily glared at him, her arms still wrapped around Chloe's waist as she drug her from the tower.

"What? You can't honestly expect me to like him just because your best mate fancies him," Severus said, grinning to show her that he was merely teasing her and Chloe. He stood a few stairs above them, blocking Chloe's way back to the tower.

"I can't do this! He's just going to use me! Why do you want me to get hurt?" Chloe grouched.

"If I wanted to hurt you, I would have hexed you into submission by now," Lily snapped. Chloe frowned and opened her mouth to argue back.

"Ladies, please, we're running behind as it is. Chloe, quit being difficult. You said you'd go, and so you're going. Do you want to be known as a f lake?" Severus asked. This made Chloe bristle.

"No! I'm not a flake. Fine, I'll go on this stupid bleeding meeting–"

"Date?" Severus interjected, smirking. Lily shot him an exasperated look.

"It's not a date!" Chloe cried, tearing herself free from Lily and stomping down the stairs.

Lily punched Severus lightly in the ribs.

"Oww! What was that for?" he asked, rubbing his side.

"For antagonizing her. You know how difficult she can get," Lily said.

"Doesn't give you the right to wail on me," Severus grouched.

"Aww, poor baby. Want me to kiss it and make it better?" she asked, with an adorable faux-innocent look on her face. Severus grinned.

"Yes. Yes I do." He wrapped one arm around her waist and dipped her, causing her to giggle wildly as his lips met hers.

"Aww, how adorable," said a voice from behind them. Lily stood up quickly. James and Remus were headed toward them.

"I didn't know greasy gits were your type, Evans," James said, all hints of his former niceties gone. Lily stared at him.

"Who gave you call to be such a rude, arrogant prick all of a sudden, Potter?" she snapped. "What's your problem?" James muttered something under his breath and strode away. Remus started to follow him, and then stopped.

"Sorry about him, he's just a bit touchy, is all…you know he and Severus have never really gotten along," Remus said apologetically. Lily rolled her eyes.

"It's not really his business, it it?" she said fiercly. Remus shook his head.

"No, it isn't. I am sorry though. Try not to pay him any mind." He shot them one last apologetic look before jogging off after James.

Chloe took a deep breath before she walked into the Three Broomsticks. She braced herself for what might happen; there was no reason to let him get any closer. Statistically speaking, it could only end badly.

She saw him waiting for her in a corner booth without many people around. She made her way over slowly, trying to control her quickening breath and drumming heartbeat.

"Hey, Chloe," he said, smiling brightly as she approached him.

"Hello, Black," she said, only barely returning the smile. Sirius sighed and ran his hand through his hair.

"Down to business so soon, I suppose," he muttered. "Chloe, I just want to know what I did to upset you." His eyes were drawn in concern. Chloe bit her lip and stared at the table. Madam Rosmerta strolled over and plopped two butterbeers in front of them.

"Like you asked for, Mr. Black," she said cheerily before striding over to the next table.

"Thanks," Chloe murmured, taking one and sipping it.

"I didn't get it so you could avoid my questions," he teased, smiling over his own drink. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong," she stated simply.

"Then why have you been avoiding me? You're not a lezzie, are you?"

"Cut it out! No, I'm not! Ugh, this was a bad idea," she griped, getting up to go. Sirius grabbed her hand.

"No, Chloe, please don't go. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I was just kidding," he said. Chloe frowned at him and his pleading eyes. With another groan she sat back down.

"So tell me. What did I do wrong? And don't say I didn't do anything. I saw you dive behind a tapestry once," he said, unable to keep the tinge of hurt out of his voice. Chloe's face reddened. Apparently that incident had been more obvious than she realized at the time.

"It's not…it's not you, Sirius," she said quietly. "I'm just not a good person. I don't…I don't do well with guys," she murmured, so quietly Sirius almost couldn't hear her. Sirius ran a thumb over the back of her hand, which he was still holding.

"Why would you say something like that? Here I thought it was my reputation," he said with a small laugh.

"Well, that was my excuse. But it's just, you know, normal guys without a reputation haven't found me to be good enough before, so why should you be any different?" she questioned. What bothered Sirius most was that she didn't look upset, didn't look like she would cry; she looked genuinely curious.

"Chloe, you can't honestly believe that just because a few dunderheads gave up a great girl like you that you aren't worth dating," Sirius said, staring into her eyes intently. Chloe flushed, her stomach clenching into uncomfortable knots.

"Well, I do. I'm obviously doing something wrong. I can't lose control anymore. I just can't. It's not safe," she said stubbornly. She still hadn't pulled her hand away from him. Sirius's eyes were brimming with worry.

"Chloe, that's such an unhealthy way to think. You're a great person. Like I told Lindsey, I don't see you like I see other girls. Other girls just throw themselves at me—"

"Oh, that's lovely," Chloe snapped.

"—but you, you're different. You have substance, a personality. You're not a conquest," Sirius finished, ignoring her jab. Chloe's head suddenly felt very light and she bit her lip again

"I…no, I don't know, Sirius, it's…it's too…complicated…it's too hard," she whimpered. She withdrew her hand and wrapped her arms protectively around her stomach. Tears began forming, and she silently cursed herself. How was he doing this to her? How was he breaking through her carefully crafted defenses, the ones that she spent years perfecting so that no other person would be able to break through and find her vulnerable spots? She never admitted she couldn't do something, refused to admit anything was a challenge for her; now, here she sat, near tears and a mental breakdown in the middle of the Three Broomsticks. She was disgusted with herself. With a sharp intake of breath, she stood up. Not here. Not now. She couldn't lose it. She couldn't…

"I've…I need to go," she said, attempting to flee again. Sirius threw some money on the table and got up after her. He followed her out into the crisp fall air.

Chloe ducked down an alley in between the Three Broomsticks and Zonko's. In that dark, secluded alley, where only Sirius was there to see her, Chloe finally broke down. She slid down onto the dirty ground and sobbed into her hands. Years of stress from maintaining her defensive wall came pouring out. Sirius sat next to her, wrapped his arms around her, and held her gently as she cried.

"I try…s-so hard…" she whimpered against him. "B-but no one…ever…sticks around," she said in between sobs. "They always…f-find…someone prettier…s-smarter…" Sirius laid his head on top of hers.

"Shhh. Calm down. It's okay." He squeezed her gently. Her sobs were beginning to subside. After a few minutes, the tears stopped flowing and she realized what she had just done. Embarrassed, she wriggled free of his grasp and stood up, brushing herself off in an attempt to regain her composure.

"I'm sorry," she said, attempting to reinstate her former self. "That was foolish of me, I haven't cried in—"

She suddenly found herself pressed up against the hard brick wall, Sirius's face centimeters from hers.

"Chloe," he breathed. "You are the most beautiful, intelligent girl in this school. Don't you ever let anyone tell you otherwise." Chloe felt her whole body spark; her legs seemed to turn to jelly and her stomach was trying to claw its way out of her. His eyes were flaming as they bored into hers. Then he was kissing her, and there was nothing soft and sweet about it. It was passionate, needy, and hungry. Their tongues roamed each other's mouths, her hands tangled in his hair, his arms wrapped around her waist and crushed her against his body. There was nothing except the two of them, and the heat that seemed to swallow her up, threatening to combust at any moment.

When he eventually pulled away, the air that filled the space between them felt like ice. Chloe struggled to regulate her breathing and grasped for control of her galloping heartbeat. They stood there in silence with their arms around each other for a few moments. Then, Chloe shook her head, smiling.

"I'll never understand how I let you do that," she said quietly.

"What? This?" he asked, smirking as he leaned in for another kiss. This one was softer and slower, more tender. She started giggling.

"Mmm...no, not that. How I let you find this part of me that I've tried so hard to lock away," she said. Sirius chuckled.

"I'm magical, remember?" he murmured, leaning in for another kiss.

"Oi! What are you two naughty children doing down there?" came a voice at the end of the alley. It was James, with Remus in tow.

"None of your bloody business!" Sirius called back. He looked down at Chloe and grinned. "Busted." He looped his arm around her waist as they started walking toward the end of the alley.

"Well, I'm glad you two got things sorted out," Remus said, clapping Sirius on the shoulder.

"Me too," he said, gazing at Chloe fondly. Chloe grinned back. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy. The feeling was terrifying.


	10. Returning the Favor

Yay! Thanks for all the pretty reviews. You guys are fabulous!

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

"Ha! I knew it, I knew it!" Lindsey sang as she danced around the Ravenclaw common room. Chloe casually flicked her wand and Lindsey's legs snapped together, sending her crashing to the floor.

"Hey! Owww, what was that for? Can't I just be happy for you?" she whined from the floor. Chloe grinned.

"I suppose. You know how I feel about 'I told you so' songs, though," she said, releasing Lindsey from the spell. Lily and Cassie giggled.

"So what about you, Lily? How was your day with Sevvie?" Cassie said, fluttering her eyelashes. Lily popped her with a pillow.

"It was…it was good. Just…James gave me hell every time he saw me," Lily said, reflecting on his odd behavior the day before. "I don't understand it."

"Well, he does hate Severus's guts," Lindsey said. Chloe nodded.

"Yes, but I thought they just disliked each other now. As far as I was aware, he hasn't bullied or antagonized Sev since the end of last year," Lily said.

"I think he fancies you," Chloe said. Lily laughed.

"Don't be ridiculous. He flirts with everyone," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Well yeah, but how else are you going to explain his sudden shift in behavior?" Cassie said. Lily shrugged.

"It's not my problem, anyway. He needs to stop acting like a child," she said. The other three girls nodded.

"Ah, I've got to hit the Quidditch pitch," Chloe said. "I scheduled practice for today."

The girls gathered their things and bid each other farewell as they headed in opposite directions. Lindsey turned her focus toward the library. She had a bone to pick with Remus Lupin.

She was beginning to give up on the library and turn her thoughts toward the lake when suddenly she spotted him. He was dozing on a desk in a hidden corner of the library. She strode over to him and snatched the book from under his head, causing him to bang his head on the table. He jerked upright in surprise.

"Ouch! Wh…Lindsey? What'd you do that for?" he grumbled, rubbing his head.

"Lily told me that you never went to your detention last night. That you boys stayed up in your dormitory until just before dark, and then you left and didn't come back all night," she said, glowering at him. Remus stared at her. It seemed he couldn't come up with anything to say.

"Fine, Remus. I thought you promised me you weren't keeping any secrets, but apparently there's some all important thing that you have to lie to me about!" she hissed, keeping an eye on Madam Pince.

"Maybe if I chose to hide something from you, it would be for your own good," Remus shot back.

"And who are you to be the judge of what's right for me?" she exclaimed. Madam Pince threw them a filthy look and put her fingers to her lips.

"I'm not. I'm just trying to protect you. Can't you just forget about it?" Remus pleaded. He looked exhausted.

"No," Lindsey snarled. "You lied to me. After everything I trusted you with! How can I forget something like that?" Madam Pince was glaring hard at them now; she seemed ready to get out of her desk. Taking it as a cue, Lindsey turned on her heel and marched for the exit. She expected, almost hoped, that Remus would follow her. He didn't.

Chloe was about to shove her broomstick through the back of her Beaters' heads. The team was spot on, except for those two ninnies. They had nearly let four Bludgers hit their teammates in the course of thirty minutes.

"You can't wait for the Bludger to come to you," Chloe tried explaining to them. "You have to watch them and figure out their angle. You're not just hitting balls, you're trying to protect your teammates. You need to take this more seriously!" Chloe huffed. The girls scuffed their toes in the grass and mumbled an apology.

"Don't apologize to me! Apologize to your teammates when one of them gets knocked off their broom because you couldn't do your job right! Now get back on your brooms and prove to me that you deserve to be on this team!" Chloe was near yelling. Those girls were going to be the end of her, if not Ravenclaw Quidditch altogether.

By the end of practice, she had finally figured out how to push their buttons to get them angry enough to go after the Bludgers and send them sailing away.

'Now if only I didn't have to get them mad before they performed decently,' she thought bitterly.

She congratulated each of her players as they exited the locker room, especially Flynn, who was turning out to be an amazing Keeper despite his inexperience. As Flynn exited, Sirius brushed past him, grinning at her.

"You're so adorable when you're angry," he said. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"I bet it's not so cute when you're on the receiving end," she said, wrapping her arms around him. "Stupid skinny twits have no idea how to hit a damn Bludger…"

Sirius chuckled.

"Maybe I can make you feel better," he whispered in her ear. Chloe shivered and tilted her head up to press her lips against. Chloe could feel her heart swelling against her chest, begging to burst free.

Suddenly the door jumped open with a loud bang. Chloe whipped her head around so quickly that she headbutted Sirius.

"Ow! Bloody hell, what was that?" he yelled, holding his face. Chloe pressed one hand against her own.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's just me!" Lindsey timidly crept into the locker room.

"Damn it, Lindsey, you scared us senseless!" Chloe said. Then she noticed Lindsey's red eyes and distraught expression. "What's wrong?" she asked, crossing the distance to her best friend.

"It's about Remus," she whispered.

"Do you want Sirius to go? Maybe he could be helpful," Chloe suggested.

"Yeah, he might know," Lindsey said. They sat on either side of her as she retold the story of her confrontation with Remus in the library. By the end of her story, Sirius looked extremely uncomfortable and Chloe was livid.

"He lied to you?" she yelled. "He lied to her?" she yelled again, this time directed at Sirius. Sirius threw his hands up defensively.

"Hey now, don't yell at me! It's not my secret to tell," he said.

"What could be so bad that he would have to lie about it?" Lindsey said, fresh tears swimming behind her eyelashes.

"It's not my secret," Sirius repeated, "but I assure you his intentions were pure. If I had the same situation as him, I probably wouldn't tell Chloe." He noticed her eyes narrowing. "At least not at first. Not until I knew she wanted to commit to me," he added quickly.

"Sirius, talk to him for me. You owe me this favor," Lindsey said dangerously.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't even be able to talk to Chloe, much less snog her in locker room!" Lindsey spat acidly.

"Okay, okay! Merlin, you girls are firecrackers," Sirius said, withering under their burning glares.


	11. Good Words

Yay! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I genuinely appreciate your contributions! Sorry this chapter took so long, I just got back from France so I've been in a bit of a whirlwind!

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

"James Potter! What on Earth do you think you're doing!"

James froze. He was hiding behind a statue, his wand emerging from his pocket as he eyed two oblivious first years with great interest.

"Oh, hello there Evans," he said coolly. "Just having a bit of fun with the first years. What's it to you?"

Lily glared at him. "You seem to have reverted back to your second year behavior. What's gotten into you? You were…" she faltered. "You were nice to me. You seemed mature…for once."

"I've never been nice, Evans," he said snappishly. "Now why don't you run along and entertain your boyfriend." He sneered at the final word. Lily turned scarlet.

"Don't forget I am a Prefect, Potter," she said crisply. James rolled his eyes.

"Oh? What're you going to do, dock points from your own House?"

"Maybe I would."

"You would not."

"Try me."

They held each other's glares for a moment.

"Why do you care so much about Severus and me? You didn't start acting this way until you found out about us. Are you jealous?" she said, smirking at his startled face.

"No. Obviously you have poor taste. I take it as a compliment that you aren't interested in me," James replied acidly. For some reason, the comment stung Lily more than she expected. She felt tears welling up in her eyes.

"James Potter, you arrogant, disgusting toe-rag! Silly me, believing you had changed, believing that I could be friends with you!" she said. James just stared at her.

"Oh, and ten points from Gryffindor," she hissed. She turned sharply, her red hair flaring angrily behind her as she left James Potter and his shocked expression fumbling for a response behind her.

"You took ten points from Gryffindor? Honestly, Lils, you shouldn't let him get to you so much that you undermine your own House," Severus said, stroking Lily's hair. They were in the Room of Requirement, cuddled up on a couch. Lily sighed.

"I know. I'm sorry, Sev. I don't know why I defend the Marauders so much. I guess I thought James had actually changed. The rest of them seem fine, even Sirius, though he is still a bit boyish…"

Severus snorted. Lily grinned.

"Okay, a lot boyish. But regardless….I don't know why I snapped so hard on him today. It was silly of me." Severus smiled.

"Try not to worry about it too much. It's over now," he said, kissing the top of her head. Lily smiled and snuggled closer to him.

"So, any word yet from Lindsey on the Remus situation?" Severus asked. Lily frowned.

"No, and I know your opinion on it, Severus," she said warningly. He shrugged.

"I know, I know, but you've got to admit it seems awfully suspicious…"

Halloween had finally arrived, and Hogwarts was full of spirit. Everywhere she turned, Lindsey could see pranksters scaring younger students and black and orange decorations floating about. The ghosts seemed especially excited; this holiday was practically tailor-made for them, after all. They got a kick out of popping out of the walls, floors, and ceilings unexpectedly, and the students seemed to recover from the initial shock quick enough to laugh along afterward.

Lindsey was pondering the many delicious treats that were sure to be available at the feast tonight as she walked toward her next class when suddenly, someone grabbed her arm and yanked her into a broom cupboard. A hand flew over her mouth to stifle her startled shriek.

"Lindsey, it's just me, calm down!" Through the dust and darkness, Lindsey could just barely recognize James Potter.

"James! Bloody hell, what is this all about?" she demanded. James grinned mischievously.

"Sorry for scaring you out of your pants, but I had to talk to you. I was just…I was hoping perhaps you could, I don't know, put in a good word for me with Ev…I mean, Lily," he said. Lindsey raised an eyebrow.

"A good word? I'm sorry, but what are you blabbering about?"

"Well, I feel I might have made her a bit angry the other day, and—"

"A bit!" Lindsey hissed. "A bit? You insulted her and Severus! You were utterly horrid to her! Yes, she is a BIT angry!" James leaned his head back against the wall and sighed.

"I know, I know. I'm a total failure at communicating with girls. I…I'm having a hard time coping with her dating Snivellus."

"That's not his name."

"Allright, Snape, and that's the best you'll get out of me," James snapped. "At any rate, I don't like it much and for some reason I feel…protective of her."

"She doesn't need your protection," Lindsey snapped. James ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it in frustration.

"I know! That isn't what I'm trying to say! I just…I like her, okay? I like her a lot, and I might be…a bit…" He murmured something under his breath.

"A bit what, Potter?"

"Jealous!" he said, perhaps a bit more loudly than intended. Lindsey bit back a giggle.

"Do my ears deceive me? James Potter, Mister Have-it-all, Know-it-all, Done-them-all…is jealous of Severus Snape?"

James clenched his fists, but to Lindsey's surprise he did not draw his wand.

"Yes, okay? He's damn lucky to have a girl like Lily," he snarled. "I'm not used to not getting what I want." Lindsey snorted.

"You don't say," she said sarcastically. James chuckled.

"I know, I know. At any rate…I want her to be happy. So…could you…maybe try to get her to talk to me again?" Lindsey sighed.

"Maybe, James, but honestly you're going to have to prove to her that you mean that." Lindsey regarded him carefully. James seemed honest, but then again, he had seemed to drop his bullying habits. For the most part.

"Thanks, Lindsey. Thanks for your help. And this conversation never happened," he said. Lindsey smirked and nodded.

"Of course. No idea what you're talking about." Lindsey wondered at James's supposed change of heart. She had always suspected he had a thing for Lily, so it would make sense that he would react poorly to Lily's dating the boy James used as target practice to get Lily's attention. Perhaps he really did just want her to be happy. Then again, it was Halloween, and masks weren't an uncommon sight.

"Boo!" Chloe jumped out from behind a tapestry as Sirius strolled past. She didn't know if it was the exclamation or the horrid rubber troll's mask she was wearing, but either way Sirius stumbled backward and tripped over his feet in a most satisfying way. Chloe fell to her knees from laughing so hard.

"Merlin! What on earth is that thing on your face, Chloe?" Sirius yelped. Chloe pulled it off, still giggling.

"It's a Muggle Halloween mask. My brother sent it to me as a gag," she said.

"It's absolutely hideous. Next time I kiss you, all I'll be able to think about is that thing," he said, rising gracefully to his feet. Chloe grinned as he pulled her to her feet, too.

"Disgusting. I didn't know you were into non-human creatures. Isn't that some form of bestiality?" she said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"You're insane," he grumbled, grabbing her and kissing her roughly. As he slipped his arm around her waist, he felt a crumpled piece of parchment rustle in her pocket.

"Oh? What's this?" he muttered, snatching it out of her pocket swiftly. Chloe's eyes went wide.

"Sirius! What are you doing? Give that back!" she cried, lunging for it. Her heart rate accelerated. If he read that letter, she thought the world could possibly split in half.

He held it high above her head, trying to read it as she grasped desperately for it. Anger clouded her eyes as he dangled it above her. She snatched her wand out and lit the parchment on fire. Sirius dropped it, startled.

"What the hell is your problem?" she growled. Sirius looked genuinely confused.

"I was just having a bit of fun, Chloe. Calm down," he said, reaching for her hand. She stepped back.

"Calm down? You were invading my privacy! You had no right to do that!" she snapped. Sirius frowned, brows furrowing.

"Chloe, I didn't read anything. I'm sorry I upset you. Really, Chloe, I am," he said as she started marching away from him. She didn't stop until she was on the grounds, near the lake. The lake was beautiful at Halloween; enchanted pumpkin lanterns floated just above the water's surface. Hagrid seemed to have found more bats to release on the grounds, because they were swarming like a dark thunder head over the grounds. Chloe sat down on the edge of the lake, glaring at the water's surface. Sirius sat next to her, and she turned her face from him.

"Chloe…tell me why you're so angry. I was just teasing you. I wasn't really going to read it," he said quietly.

"It's nothing. Personal business. You wouldn't understand," she said sharply.

"I think I would, Chloe. Come on. No more walls. Tell me what's wrong," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. Chloe inhaled deeply. She thought about shrugging his arm off, but refrained. She had told him she would try to be more open with him. It was promising a lot; it was rare that the other Corsaires got to see as much of her as she had let Sirius see, and she'd known them far longer.

"It was just…a letter from my ex," she said quietly. "My mom convinced him to write to me and try to show me that he…" she paused, staring at her knees. "That he's better for me than you are," she said finally. Sirius pondered that.

"Well, obviously, your mom is confused. She's never met me, so she has yet to experience my charms and grace," he said, grinning at his logical reasoning. Chloe cracked the smallest of smiles.

"Possibly. My mom has no idea what he's like. She only ever saw the happy couple that Cole and I put on. We fought constantly, though she refuses to believe it," Chloe said, smiling sadly at the irony of the situation. True, Cole looked perfect on paper. He was a brilliant student, volunteered for several different non-profit organizations, and coached a youth Quidditch team. Chloe had quickly realized that Cole was domineering and more desperate for control than she ever was. Thankfully, his move to America gave her the courage to end his tyranny in her life.

"Fought? About what?" Sirius asked.

"Oh, anything and everything. He was more control hungry than I was," Chloe said, shrugging uncomfortably.

"Someone more controlling than you? I can't picture it," Sirius said in mock surprise. Chloe punched him lightly in the ribs. Sirius chuckled.

"Let's get back up to the castle. Dinner should be starting soon, and we don't want to miss that," he said, kissing her forehead.

As they headed back to the castle, Chloe couldn't help but think that if Sirius knew the half of what her and Cole's fights were really like, he might suddenly develop a protective streak to rival that of any territorial animal.


	12. Forgiven

Sorry the chapters are coming slower, I've been busy getting ready for school to start back.

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

"Lindsey! Hey, Lindsey, wait!"

Lindsey stopped. She was looking forward to watching Cassie in her first Quidditch match of the season. It was Gryffindor versus Slytherin, and the crisp, bright November day would make wonderful Quidditch weather. She hoped the owner of the voice wasn't about to ruin her day. Lily and Chloe had taken a minute to realize she had stopped and turned back to her.

"Go on guys, it's okay," Lindsey said as Remus jogged up to her. The other two girls frowned, but continued on their way.

"How can I help you?" Lindsey said flatly. Remus looked incredibly nervous.

"I…I talked to Sirius, and he made me realize that I wasn't being fair to you. You trusted me and I should have trusted you in return. I'm sorry," he said, staring earnestly into her eyes. Lindsey sighed.

"It's okay," she mumbled. "I'm sorry for biting your head off." Sarcastic though she may be, Lindsey knew she was not one to hold grudges, and something about the look in Remus's eyes melted her heart a bit.

"I deserved it," he said, smiling. "So…so to make up for it," he continued, taking a deep breath, "I think…I think I'll tell you." Lindsey stared at him.

"Just like that?"

"Yes. Just like that."

Lindsey eyed him suspiciously.

"Okay…go on then."

Remus took a deep breath, fidgeting with his robes anxiously.

"I'm…I…Lindsey, I'm a werewolf." Remus's face screwed up a bit as if he expected Lindsey to slap him, scream, run away in terror…but she just stood there, staring at him. Lindsey's first reaction was annoyance.

"Is that it? Really? That is what this whole fuss is about? You complete arse!"

Remus was visibly floored.

"I…uh, sorry, what?"

"You really think that's the kind of thing that would drive me away?" she demanded.

"Well…yes. It certainly makes most other people treat me as if I have some incurable disease. Which, I suppose I do," he said wryly. Lindsey laughed. She had never been the type of person to judge others, especially for things they couldn't necessarily control. She had thought Remus understood that about her from their hours spent "studying" together.

"I have two uncles that are werewolves. It's just one of those things," she said.

"How was I supposed to know that? For all I knew, you could've been one of the other extremes," he grumbled, rubbing his arm where she had smacked him. Lindsey grinned.

"You owe me a study date," she teased. "Tonight?"

Remus grinned. "Of course."

Cassie was nervous. Beyond nervous, really. Her palms were sweating so much she was surprised she could hold the Beater stick. The captain was barking about how the team couldn't afford to lose to Gryffindor, but Cassie wasn't listening. She knew they barely stood a chance with James Potter as Seeker. That wouldn't stop her from aiming a few Bludgers his way, however. Besides, she owed him for the way he'd treated Lily.

Soon they were mounting their brooms, waiting for Madam Hooch's whistle. Cassie tried to catch sight of one of her friends in the crowd. She was glad none of them could be with their boyfriends, as the sections were divided by House. Seeing them being all cutesy and flirty might put her in a foul mood.

Then the whistle blew, and the match was on. Cassie followed the game plan, flanking the outer left Chaser in a wide arc, hunting down Bludgers to pelt at the Gryffindors. She was elated when the third Bludger she smacked passed an inch from a Gryffindor Chaser's nose, causing him to drop the ball straight into Bledsoe's, a Slytherin Chaser, hands. They scored the first ten points.

She was also excited when one of her Bludgers clipped James Potter's elbow. He grimaced in pain, and she winked at him. He shook his head before they flew off in opposite directions. Served him right.

The game did not continue on such a high note, however. She narrowly saved their Seeker from having her skull crushed by a Bludger fifty points in. She was sure Darringer would yell at her about it later. Slytherin was only up by twenty points when James Potter caught the Snitch. Cassie groaned. The locker room was going to be hell.

Sure enough, Darringer laid into them for their performance. Cassie got blessed out for dropping off her flank too frequently, allowing a few close calls and one broken hand. She trudged out of the locker room, where her friends were waiting for them. She was irked to see them flanked by their boyfriends. Shouldn't they be celebrating with James?

"You did great, Cass!" Chloe cried, throwing her arms around her.

"Yeah, except we didn't win," Cassie replied bitterly.

"Well, James is a hardcore Seeker, it's hard to put the brakes on him," Sirius chuckled, snaking his arm around Chloe's waist as she returned to his side. Cassie glared at him.

"Whatever, their next match is against Hufflepuff and I'll make sure he never even catches sight of the Snitch," Lindsey said, grinning somewhat evilly.

"I was just glad you got a Bludger on Potter," Severus said, standing awkwardly just behind Lily, as far from Sirius as he could get. He had never cared much for Quidditch, Cassie knew. He was probably on there so he could see Lily immediately after. Sirius narrowed his eyes, but held his tongue, thank Merlin.

"Let's have a celebratory drink by the lake, shall we?" Chloe said, grinning excitedly.

"What, no homework to do?" Lily asked.

"Oh, always. But you know how I am about Quidditch, and Cassie did exceptionally well for her first game!" she said excitedly.

"We're going to catch up with James," Sirius said, kissing Chloe's cheek swiftly. "He won't be pleased if we're not there to celebrate the first of his many victories." Remus and Peter, who had been hanging back a bit, joined Sirius has he headed back to the castle.

An hour later, Lily was put in charge of procuring the drinks. Apparently, she thought bitterly, being Prefect entitled her to more rule breaking than her friends. Severus accompanied her back to the castle as the girls made their way to the lake. Severus's hand was intertwined with hers as they made their way toward the kitchens.

"Oi, Sev, make sure to wash that hand well after you're done!" Yaxley was jeering at them from down the hallway.

"Bugger off, Yaxley," Severus sneered. He removed his hand from Lily's and stuck it in his wand pocket. Lily tried to ignore Yaxley's comments as they pushed past him and continued down the hallway. Lily kept waiting for Severus's hand to return to hers.

"You put your hand in your pocket," Lily said suddenly. Severus glanced over uncomfortably.

"I just didn't want to give him an excuse to keep on," Severus muttered. Lily glared at him.

"Okay then, Sev, if you're so embarrassed to be seen holding a Mudblood's hand—" Severus stopped and grabbed her arm.

"Don't say that, Lily. Don't ever call yourself that," he said, staring intensely at her. "I'm just…I have to live with those guys, you know? It's better for me if I keep my head low and pretend to listen when they talk about joining the Death Eaters and all that."

"So it's better for you not to stand up for yourself?" Lily said fiercely.

"Lily, that's not what I mean. I'm just…you know I've never been able to do that," he said quietly. Lily felt guilty. She knew what kind of hell the Marauders had put Severus through.

"Well, Sev, maybe it's time you learned, you know? You really should have more faith in yourself!" she said, trying to sound encouraging. Severus offered a small smile.

"Thanks, Lily, but I know what I'm worth," he said. Lily stared at him. They'd reached the kitchens, but stood outside.

"You're worth everything to me, Sev," Lily said quietly, reaching her arms around him and hugging him tightly. Severus was mildly surprised, and he awkwardly placed his arms around Lily.

"Now, let's con some drinks out of those house elves. You know they love me!" she said cheerily, trying to forget the depressing conversation that had passed between them.

After the butterbeer had been drained and the friends had said their goodnights, Lindsey traversed the halls on a different path than the one that would lead her to her common room. She and Remus had study hall tonight, after all.

True to form, their study session was much more of a chat-and-laugh session than anything. At one lull in the conversation, Remus looked at her a smiled. He kept doing that until Lindsey lifted an eyebrow.

"Is your face broken?" she asked. Remus laughed.

"No. I was just thinking how amazing it is that you had no problem with my…situation," he said. Lindsey shook her head.

"Please. It's really not that big of a deal. It's not right to judge people like that, especially when they can't help it! I mean, do those people really think you chose to be a werewolf? I'm sure you'd stop if you could," she said heatedly. Remus gazed at her somewhat fondly. Lindsey blushed, unsure how to respond. Why was he staring at her like that?

"Lindsey, you're amazing," Remus said suddenly. Lindsey's blush deepened.

"I…what?"

"You're amazing. No one has ever said something like that to me before. Not even the Marauders, and they were the only people at school who knew until you," he said quietly.

"Well, honestly Remus, I–" Her sentence was cut short by Remus sliding his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him, and kissing her lips softly.

Lindsey's head felt so light that she thought it might drift away. His fingers moved through her hair, massaging her scalp, sending tiny shivers throughout her body. His lips felt so perfect against hers, so warm and gentle that they almost seemed not to be there at all. She ran her fingernails up and down the back of his neck as their tongues met between them. Lindsey's whole body grew hot as the passion between them increased. He pulled away, and she leaned her forehead against his and smiled.

Their textbooks lay forgotten on the floor, still in their bags. Lindsey felt sure that she would do poorly on her Transfiguration test the next day, but she was positive that the feeling she got from kissing Remus for the rest of the evening would be far more pleasurable than the feeling of passing an exam.


	13. The Plan

Yay! I love reviews. Sorry these are coming slow. I'm trying really hard to stay committed to this fic, but I'm writing for four different sections of the student newspaper plus doing an independent column, I have vice prez duties for English Honors Society, and I'm taking all upper level courses this semester! Eep! Bear with me. (:

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

November turned out to be a slow, dragging, cold month. It made Quidditch practice rather miserable, and Lindsey was beginning to dread their first game, against Ravenclaw, at the end of the month. This, she realized with a start, was in about a week and a half.

As Lindsey's boyfriend, Remus began to take his job as a tutor a bit more seriously than before. Lindsey loved the tension between them as her encouraged her as she struggled through Defense Against the Dark Arts or Transfiguration, and the passionate kisses that followed as a reward.

One night, Lindsey was curled up against him, her Transfiguration book propped open against her knees. She stared without seeing at the pages, lost in thought.

"Lindsey? You okay?" Lindsey looked up at Remus and smiled. Merlin, he had beautiful eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be?"

"I asked you how your reading was coming twice and you didn't answer," he said, lifting an eyebrow at her.

"Oh, selective hearing, I suppose," she teased. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Come on, tell me what you're so wrapped up in," he said, giving her a small squeeze.

"Well, it's an incomplete idea really, there's no point in getting into it yet, I just talked to Sirius earlier and I got this idea…" she rambled on. Remus stared hard at her.

"Sirius? What idea? What in the world has he put you up to?" Remus asked. Lindsey picked at her finger nails.

"Well…I asked him, you know, how he accompanies you when you're a werewolf, and he told me he was an unregistered Animagus, and I was thinking I could do that too," she said nervously. She was worried how Remus would react to that idea. From what Sirius told her, he hadn't liked it much at first when the Marauders proposed it.

"Absolutely not, Lindsey! That's crazy. My mates already put themselves in enough danger, and they could get in serious trouble if it is discovered that they are unregistered! I can't let you do that, Lindsey," he said stubbornly. Lindsey narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry, Daddy, I'll be on my best behavior from now on," she snapped.

"Lindsey, I'm not trying to be controlling, I just don't want you to be rash."

"Well obviously I've already thought a lot about it!" she protested. Remus sighed.

"Lindsey, I can't stop you from doing this, but I really don't think you should," Remus implored.

"Remus, I'm not going to pretend to know the future, but if we end up together for a long time, I want to be able to be around you when you transform. I don't want to have to leave you, potentially alone, just because you might hurt me. I want to support you," she pleaded. "I can't do this if you're not okay with it. It wouldn't feel right. Please, Remus."

"Lindsey…I'm never going to feel totally okay with it, but I won't be angry if you do it. I just…I don't want to risk you. I feel bad enough risking James, Sirius, and Peter every month," he said. The pain in his eyes was nearly a tangible force, exuding from him and spreading throughout the room. Lindsey wrapped her arms around his middle and hugged him.

"Everything will work out okay. I promise."

Chloe wasn't stupid, and not just because she was in Ravenclaw. She saw the tittering bints that giggled and whispered together and she and Sirius walked past; she noticed the ridiculously pretty girls hovering outside the Gryffindor common room, skulking off when Chloe and Sirius walked up together. It only took a couple weeks of this before her nerves were ready to snap.

"Honestly, do they think they're being inconspicuous?" Chloe snapped sharply. A girl with pouty lips and beautiful, golden, curly hair let out a squeak and scurried away under Chloe's furious glare. She was already in a bad mood; Sirius was accompanying her after a particularly brutal Quidditch practice. Her team members seemed to think that just because it was Hufflepuff they were facing in a week that they could slack off. Not to mention the mountain of homework waiting for her in the common room. It was enough to give her a throbbing headache.

"Don't you think you're being a bit paranoid?" Sirius asked. He seemed blissfully unaware of the plethora of girls falling all over themselves in their vain attempts to catch his eye. As if she didn't even exist! Chloe felt that she may as well have been a broomstick he carried around.

"Oh, please. Do you honestly not see all the girls fawning over you around every corner?"

"Not really," Sirius said, shrugging. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"They're like a bunch of damn hinkypunks, attempting to lure you in with their shiny hair and perfect makeup," Chloe snapped. Sirius chuckled.

"Yeah, and those lanterns they carry around. Hard to resist," he teased. Chloe remained silent, ignoring his attempt at a joke. She had barely started to admit it to herself, but every time one of those Barbies made eyes at Sirius, it tugged on her insecurities and dug into her mind, unseating her newfound confidence that she could, in fact, maintain a relationship.

"Come on, don't let them bother you," Sirius said once his joke failed to alleviate the tension. "Regardless of my past, you know you're the only girl in my life."

The irritation ebbed, but the jealousy and insecurity lingered. As they approached the stairs leading up to Ravenclaw tower, Lindsey suddenly came hurtling around the corner.

"Oh, I'm so glad I found you guys!" Lindsey said, out of breath. "I need to talk to Sirius."

It was hard to tell who looked more confused, Sirius or Chloe. Chloe shrugged; though she was still in a rather bad mood, she would hardly suspect foul play between her best friend and her boyfriend. She bid them farewell and headed upstairs to confront the several essays she'd be assigned.

Lindsey had all four Marauders assembled on the far bank of the lake. Remus was looking rather anxious and not at all in a good mood. Lindsey had expected as much, but she was determined to do this with or without his help.

"So, what's all this about, Lindsey?" James asked.

"Well," Lindsey started, taking a deep breath to steel her nerves. "I know the three of you are unregistered Animagi, and I want to be one, too."

Dead silence followed this announcement.

"Who told you?" James said, much quieter than she'd ever heard him speak before.

"Sirius," she said. "I asked him if and how you three watch out for Remus when he transforms, and he told me."

"I didn't mean to give you any ideas though!" Sirius protested. "Lindsey, this is crazy. It took us three years to figure it out."

"Exactly. I figure you three can teach me how!" she said excitedly.

The boys exchanged uneasy looks.

"And how do you feel about this, Remus?" James asked.

"I don't like it, but I can't exactly tell her what to do, can I?" he muttered.

"Well, then I guess we can't, either," Sirius said.

"It's really hard, and if you don't do everything exactly right, you could really hurt yourself," Peter piped up.

"That's okay. I'm sure I'll be fine with you three helping me," Lindsey said, smiling optimistically.

"Well, I guess we can start meeting in the Room of Requirement as early as next week," James said.

"It'll have to be the week after next," Lindsey said. "My first Quidditch match is coming up."

Cassie was surprised to exit the library and see Lindsey rounding the corner with all four Marauders in tow.

"Hey, Lindsey! What have you all been sneaking around for?" she asked.

"Oh, you know, just homework and school and that kind of stuff,"' Lindsey said vaguely. The boys exchanged nervous glances before taking leave of what was sure to be a sticky situation. Cassie watched them go with a suspicious glare. What on earth had they been up to, and why would Lindsey hide it from her?

Just then, Lily emerged from the library. She and Cassie had been studying together, but Lily had told Cassie that she was going to stay a bit longer. Apparently, she had changed her mind.

"Did I just see the Marauders scurrying away as if they had just planted a Dung Bomb?" Lily asked suspiciously. Lindsey opened her mouth to protest, but Cassie beat her to it.

"Lindsey won't tell me why she's been sneaking around with the Marauders," Cassie said. Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really? Alright, Miss Sneaky, spill it," Lily said. Lindsey bristled at her demanding tone.

"I don't have to tell you everything!" she said defensively.

"Yeah, but you usually do," Cassie protested. What was wrong with her? Lindsey was usually friendly and open. Lindsey bit her lip, obviously debating something hotly in her head. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, as if the words didn't know how to form themselves into coherent sentences. Finally, she sighed, defeated and withering under their suspicious, disbelieving stares.

"Let's find Chloe. This is going to be a tough one to explain," she muttered.

Once they had located Chloe (on her way to Professor Slughorn's office to ask him a question about Forgetfulness Potions), they drug her off to finally find out what Lindsey had been hiding from them.

"What's this all about?" Chloe said, obviously in quite a grouchy mood. "I really need to talk to Professor Slughorn about my essay—"

"Lindsey's being sneaky and we're finding out why," Cassie said matter-of-factly.

They entered the Room of Requirement and took a seat in one of the comfortable chairs the room provided for them.

"Spill it!" Lily demanded. "What've you been hiding?"

Lindsey bit her lip, twirled her hair, and shifted her gaze around nervously. She rarely got her nerves this bunched up. Lindsey couldn't help but feel like she was betraying Remus a bit by revealing this information. Realistically, she reasoned with herself, how long could she hide something like this from her best friends? They would eventually notice her monthly disappearances, and she'd have to make up excuses for where she was going to learn to be an Animagus….no, Remus would understand. Feeling slightly more confident, she took a breath and placed her hands in her lap.

"Well, I guess the first thing you should know is that Remus is a werewolf," she said. She paused there to give them time to react. Cassie's hands flew to her mouth; Lily simply let her mouth hang open; Chloe's eyes bugged out of her head.

"Are you serious?" Cassie asked finally.

"I knew there was something suspicious about their sneaking out every month…" Lily muttered.

"That's not all," Lindsey said, nibbling on her lip again as the nerves crept back over her. "James, Sirius, and Peter accompany him to the Shrieking Shack as…as unregistered Animagi, and I've asked them to teach me how to do it."

The silence that followed this statement was painful.

"Lindsey, that's crazy!" Chloe shrieked, startling the rest of them. "That's incredibly dangerous, it takes so much time and energy to learn to do that, and…and…you just, you can't!" she cried.

"Chloe, it's fine. I'll be fine," Lindsey protested. "James, Sirius, and Peter did it safely, and they're going to help me do it."

"You're mad. You've gone completely mental," Lily said, staring at her in disbelief. Cassie remained in stunned silence.

"Oh come on!" Lindsey said, her patience thinning. "It's not that big of a deal. It will be perfectly safe! Just trust me on this, okay?"

The other three Corsaires still looked skeptical.

"Let us help, then," Cassie said finally. "Maybe we can make it easier on you. I'm sure Chloe could find something in the library on Animagi…"

"No, you guys don't need to get caught up in this, too," Lindsey said.

"Too late. You're our best friend. You're pretty much a sister to us, Lindsey. We're not letting you go through this without us," Chloe said firmly. Lindsey grinned.

"Damn, just when I think I'm going to shake you losers off…"

Lily grabbed a pillow off the nearby couch and smacked Lindsey upside the head with it, starting a rather large pillow fight that left the Room of Requirement covered in feathers.


	14. Losing Control

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Though Lindsey was relieved that she had gotten everyone on her side regarding the Animagus process—except Remus, who was merely tolerating the decision—she had no time to begin her secret studies. She found herself buried under a pile of homework as the Quidditch match with Ravenclaw drew ever nearer. She was worried about facing one of her best friends in a competition; she knew how fiercely competitive Chloe was, and if she didn't win, well…she hoped it wouldn't drive a wedge between them, at any rate.

To add to her stress, she and the other Corsaires discovered that just because they were now engaged in relationships did not mean the boys would stop their traditional pranks. They knew the boys didn't mean any harm by it, but Chloe and Lindsey were starting to lose their patience with getting stuck to the floor and rolled up in tapestries.

It was the day before the game, and the nervousness that had been threatening to overwhelm Lindsey all week was coming to a head. Remus was watching her practice, cheering for her from the stands. After an hour, she landed and sat next to him.

"You could be a professional Seeker, Lindsey. I can't wait to see you face off against James," Remus said, grinning as he conjured up a glass of water for her. Lindsey shook her head, taking the glass of water and chugging it.

"Please. This is fun and all, but I hate feeling so incredibly nervous. I think I'll stick to my art store idea," she said, smiling at the thought.

"Art? You never told me you were an artist," Remus said. Lindsey stood up and took his hand, thinking it was about time to call it a night.

"Maybe if you're good, I'll let you see my portfolio," she teased.

That night in the Room of Requirement, Lindsey's nerves had reached a boiling point. There was no point in trying to do homework. Whenever Lindsey failed to grasp a concept, it caused her to get angry and teary-eyed.

"Maybe we should call it a night. You need rest, not stress," Remus said gently, kissing the top of her head. Lindsey sighed.

"I guess you're right." She snuggled against him. "I don't want to leave, though."

Remus loved Lindsey's affectionate side. She was known through her House for being sarcastic and witty, but he was lucky enough to see the softer side of her. After a pause, Lindsey said,

"You know…we really don't have to."

"Have to what?"

"Leave. See, the Room of Requirement has already anticipated my exhaustion and made us a bed!" she said, laughing. Sure enough, an incredibly comfortable-looking bed had appeared by the back wall. Remus blushed furiously. He was sure Lindsey hadn't intended anything by her suggestion, but how could he not associate a comfortable bed and his beautiful girlfriend with…well, physical actions? He could barely think about it. James and Sirius had teased him in the past for being prudish and naïve, but their words had never sounded truer to his mind.

"We don't have clothes to change into," Remus said. Lindsey blushed; apparently her mind had just arrived on the same page as his.

"I can sleep in my regular clothes, it's no big deal," she said, her easy-going mask stained by her blush. She kicked off her shoes and socks and laid down on the bed. "I'm sure I won't sleep if I don't have some kind of comforting presence."

Remus removed his shoes and socks as well and laid down next to her, willing himself to breathe normally. He set the alarm clock that had magically conjured next to the bed, so they wouldn't be late in the morning. He slid under the covers next to her and turned awkwardly on his side facing her, unsure what to do with his hands. Lindsey couldn't help but smirk at him.

"You're so cute. I bet you've never slept next to a girl before," she teased, turned over on her side and scooting closer to him so they were spooning.

"No," Remus said weakly, unable to voice a witty comeback. Despite his pounding heart and stomach full of nerves, there was something comforting about snuggling up with Lindsey. She was soft and warm and fit perfectly against his torso. In that moment of warmth, he realized he'd nearly missed his chance for a comeback.

"I take it you have, though?"

"What, slept next to girls? Countless times. The girls and I don't get lezzie jokes for nothing, you know," Lindsey joked, skirting around the question. Remus couldn't help but laugh.

"You know what I meant."

"Maybe. But we don't have to talk about that. Not right now, anyway. I'm tired," she said, releasing a yawn that was obviously fake. Remus knew if she was tired, it was only of the conversation he was trying to start. He laced his fingers with hers and began to drift off into sleep, trying to ignore the questions developing in his mind.

Lindsey felt well-rested the next day, so she knew her idea of not sleeping alone had worked for her. However, she hadn't anticipated the problems it would cause within her. Of course physical intimacy would come to mind; of course she would think of her first and last time, and the horrible memories associated with it. No, Remus didn't need to know that. Not yet. It was horrible timing.

She tried to focus as the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch teams lined up opposite each other on the field. Chloe offered her an encouraging smile, and Lindsey tried to return it. The whistle blew and then the wind was whipping her hair wildly as she rose through the air. She rose above the main game and began her desperate search for the Snitch. The quicker she found it, the less likely it was that something could happen between the teams that would upset Chloe.

Chloe had been dreading this game all week. She didn't doubt that Ravenclaw had better players than Hufflepuff, but she didn't like facing off against her best friend. She dreaded having to console her best friend when Hufflepuff lost, but she figured they may as well get it over with. She was extremely confident in Ravenclaw's abilities, as long as those ninnies that held the Beater's clubs could keep it together.

In no time, Chloe had slapped 40 points on the board. She and her other Chasers had remarkable team work, and she was feeling good about their impending victory. She felt alive as she ducked and wove between the other players; feinting was her specialty, and she'd perfect an especially difficult fake-out with her favorite Chaser, Sheila Peroski. She'd just scored another 10 points when she heard the gasps from the crowd. She saw Lindsey and the Ravenclaw Seeker Tula Litchfield streaking toward the ground in a blur. In the distraction, she scored another 10 points, but her teeth were gritted. If Litchfield didn't get that Snitch…

"I can't believe it! I can't believe I won my first Quidditch match!" Lindsey was squealing. She had never felt so elated. She had been terrified of letting her team down; Litchfield had long arms, but Lindsey had speed and determination. Litchfield hadn't been able to pull up in time and went crashing to the ground, while Lindsey narrowly pulled away from the same fate with the struggling Snitch clasped firmly in her grasp.

Remus laughed, hugging her and spinning her around. "I'm so proud of you. Great job, Lindsey" he said. Her friends were filing into the locker room now. Lily, Cassie, and even the other Marauders were showering her with congratulations and praise. Chloe, however, slunk off to change out of her dirty robes.

_I can't believe it_, Chloe thought miserably. Ravenclaw hadn't lost to Hufflepuff in ten years, and in her first match as Captain, Ravenclaw had become a laughingstock. What could she have done differently? How could this have happened? She became more and more angry, not just with her teammates and the Hufflepuffs, but with herself. She'd let her team down. She'd failed. Failure was unacceptable. She knew the rest of her friends were out there, celebrating with Lindsey. Perhaps they were wondering where she was. She didn't care. She just wanted to get back to the castle and start researching rigorous Quidditch drills and figure out how many points they would need to win the rest of their matches by in order to win the Cup.

Chloe glided out of the locker room, not stopping to congratulate Lindsey or even pause to say anything to Sirius. She ignored everyone and made her way to the castle. She could hear their voices behind her, but she didn't stop. She didn't need anyone right now. Of course, Sirius couldn't allow that. He was beside her in no time, before she was even halfway to the castle.

"Chloe? What's wrong?" he asked, trying to take her hand. She snatched it away.

"Is it really necessary for you to ask that question?" she growled. Sirius looked hurt; something inside of her felt bad, but she was too caught up in her self-righteous anger to truly feel it.

"Chloe, you lost a Quidditch match. It's not that big of a deal. You really upset Lindsey just now," he said.

"Why does it matter? I'm upset and no one seems to care about that," Chloe snapped back. She knew she was being childish, but she was too hurt to care.

"I thought you wanted Lindsey to be successful in Quidditch. It was your idea for her to try out, you know," Sirius replied, feeling impatient with Chloe's impetuousness.

"I know, and I do! It's just….I always win. I don't lose," Chloe replied stubbornly.

They walked in silence all the way back to Ravenclaw tower.

"Just remember that a competition isn't worth messing up your friendship over," Sirius said as she turned to mount the stairs.

"Deep words from you," Chloe said, crossing her arms. She felt bratty, but she couldn't help it. She was completely caught up in her self-deprecation, and she couldn't stop herself from lashing out. Sirius sighed, annoyed and upset.

"You don't have to lash out at me, I'm trying to support you," he said crossly. Chloe's eyes filled up with tears.

"I'm not used to not getting what I want," she muttered.

"You sound like James," Sirius said with a chuckle.

"Oh, please! I do not!" Chloe said defiantly.

"Let it go, Chloe. Calm down. Let's go coax the house elves into giving us a nice steaming mug of butterbeer, what do you say?" Chloe still looked cross, but Sirius had a calming effect on her. She reluctantly agreed, and listened with half-hearted amusement as he tried to cheer her up with tales of his and James' antics.

Chloe was the first one to the Great Hall the next morning. She was sure by now that the teachers didn't mind that only one member of their group was ever at the correct House table. Lily and Cassie joined her at the Ravenclaw table; however, Lindsey was nowhere in sight. In fact, she didn't show up until breakfast was nearly over. When she did, she sat with the Hufflepuffs. Chloe caught up with her outside of the Great Hall, though Lindsey was obviously trying to escape without confrontation.

"Lindsey, look, I'm sorry for the way I acted—"

"Sorry? You're sorry? What, you finally got down off your high horse long enough to notice there are other people with feelings, too?" she snarled, turning on her heel to face Chloe. Chloe was taken aback; Lindsey had never snapped at her like this before, and her words stung.

"Lindsey, you know how competitive I can be—"

"That's no excuse! It's always about you Chloe. What about me? Maybe I want to be good at something for once too! You can't have everything!" Lindsey screeched. People were stopping to watch the spectacle.

"I'm trying to apologize if you'll shut up and listen for one second!" Chloe shouted back.

"Shut up? You want ME to shut up? Piss off, Chloe," Lindsey snarled before turning on her heel and striding away.

Chloe stood in the middle of the hallway, completely floored. For the first time, she realized how her need to be in control had created rifts in her relationships. She had never felt so utterly defeated.

**Sorry this update took months and months…it's my senior year of college so I'm bogged down. I just hit a clear patch though and Spring Break is coming up so maybe I'll get more done. (: Please review!**


	15. Lumos

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Over the next two weeks, Lindsey continued to get lots of praise. The Hufflepuffs couldn't believe what a gem they had on their Quidditch team and seemed to believe the Cup was as good as theirs; young Professor Sprout, recently appointed Head of Hufflepuff House, seemed to find sixty reasons a day to award Lindsey extra points; and the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain had asked Lindsey to assist him in organizing drills and new formations. All in all, she should be ecstatic; however, all she could feel was hurt.

Lindsey knew the things she had said to Chloe were over the line. She had intentionally attacked Chloe's sensitive spots, and now she felt she had gone too far. Two weeks of frosty silence. Two weeks of Lily and Cassie nervously trying to figure out how to build a bridge between the two girls. Two weeks of curling up next to Remus and falling asleep in tears in the Room of Requirement.

Whenever Chloe deliberately turned away from her, just as resolute in her grudge as Lindsey, she felt righteous anger flare up in her. Chloe had no right to treat her this way. She had probably assumed Ravenclaw would win and was now embarrassed that she had underestimated the team's abilities. Well, Lindsey's abilities, anyway. Had Lindsey not seen the Snitch, the team probably still would have lost badly. They had scored no goals, though admittedly it was a uniquely short game.

She was studying in the Gryffindor common room with Lily and Cassie when Lily suddenly slammed her textbook closed.

"That's it, I'm sick and tired of this!" she said angrily. The few other people in the common room stared at her uneasily. Lindsey and Cassie jumped.

"You and Chloe need to make up. This is stupid. I don't care how stubborn both of you are," Lily said ferociously. "This is childish and immature. You two need to apologize and patch things up."

"She's the one who owes me an apology!" Lindsey said heatedly. "She started all this. I'm not doing anything until she comes to me!"

"We know," Cassie said, frown lines creasing her eyebrows. "We've talked to her, too. You know how proud she is. It's taking a while for her to come around."

"Yeah, well, she knows bloody well that she's wrong. She had no right—"

"Lindsey, we know," Lily said, sighing. "We're just tired of going in between you two. I want us to be the Corsaires again."

Lindsey thought she might cry, but she knew Lily and Cassie were right. All she wanted was for things to be normal again. Fighting with Chloe felt incredibly wrong. Two weeks was long enough. After confirming with the other girls that Chloe was in the library, she got up and made her way out of the common room.

Lily looked at her watch.

"Ah, I've got to do rounds. You can hang out here if you want, Cass, it shouldn't take too horribly long."

"Nah, I'll just head back to Slytherin House. I'm getting tired anyway," Cassie said, her fatigue showing through her smile.

"Okay, see you tomorrow!'

They split ways in front of the portrait hole. Lily tended to get lost in thought on her rounds. Tonight, she was worrying about Severus. More and more he seemed "busy" with his Slytherin friends. He insisted that he wasn't really affiliated with them, that he was simply playing along to placate them until he graduated, but Lily knew what the growing groups of people calling themselves "Death Eaters" were like. Unlike most of her friends, she read the news. They were like the mob; it was virtually impossible to get out once you got tangled up in them. It seemed every time she thought too long about Severus, her mind wandered over to James. She figured it was because of the way he reacted to her relationship with Severus. Lindsey had been suggesting to Lily that she try talking to James, and Lily had to admit that it had saddened her to so quickly lose the friendship that had just started developing. Just when she was beginning to see that there might be more to him than his usual arrogant toe-rag self.

Lily was passing by Madam Hooch's office when she heard it. She had no idea how she heard it, because it was feather light—the beating of wings. Curious, she followed the sound until it led her to a closet a few doors down. She threw open the door.

A hand, seemingly attached to nothing, was releasing and catching a Snitch. A scream formed in her throat when suddenly hands were grabbing her and pulling her into the closet.

"_Lumos!_" a male voice whispered. Lily was terrified; she had never seen anything like this. Suddenly, James Potter materialized in front of her.

"Potter! What…what…?" Lily could hardly form words. She was bewildered, both by his sudden appearance and the noticeable irony of the situation, considering her earlier thoughts.

"Invisibility Cloak. Lily, please don't tell," James said urgently, stowing the silvery cloak in his bag at his feet. Lily was still recovering from the initial shock of seeing a floating dismembered hand.

"I won't tell," she said weakly. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, nothing. I couldn't sleep."

In the awkward silence that followed, Lily realized this was the first time she'd spoken to him on relatively friendly terms since she'd docked points from Gryffindor. James seemed to realize the same thing.

"Lily, I'm sorry for being such a git," James said awkwardly. "I don't usually think I need to apologize to people, but, well, I know I was out of line."

Lily was surprised. James was right; he never apologized to anyone for anything. Though, as the years wore on, his pranks seemed more harmless. He didn't relentlessly bully students just for a laugh anymore. He never really needed to apologize anymore, though she could think of a few traumatized souls who might still appreciate one.

"I guess it's okay…I don't know what you were on about, anyway," she grumbled. "You had no reason to get so upset." James kept playing with the Snitch, not looking at her.

"I dunno, it just…bothered me, for some reason," he muttered eventually.

"Well I don't know why you hate Severus so much, but that's no reason to take it out on me. I was…I was trying to be your friend," Lily said quietly. James looked ashamed. He ruffled his hair and sighed.

"I'm sorry. I know. I messed everything up," he muttered.

"No, you didn't," Lily said kindly. "I just…I still don't understand. Why were you so mean to Severus? He never did anything to you."

James continued looking incredibly uncomfortable, as if he knew what he wanted to say but couldn't bring himself to do so.

"Come on, James. We're trying to be friends, right? You can tell me. Did he try to hex you in first year?" she teased. James rolled his eyes.

"Right. Ugh, Lily, I don't know, it's stupid, really," James said uncomfortably. It was plain that he was not used to being backed against a wall like this. It was a weird sight, for cocky, egotistical James Potter to seem so cornered.

"I won't think it's stupid James, I promise. You can tell me," Lily said. The Snitch zoomed around above their head, completely forgotten.

"Because…ugh, because I was jealous, Lily, okay? I was bloody jealous of Snivellus and how the only thing he's good at is Potions but you still preferred to spend time with him instead of me!" he finally burst out.

_Jealous? ….Jealous?_ Lily thought.

"Yes, Lily, I was _jealous_," James spat, looking horribly embarrassed. Oops. She didn't realize she'd spoken out loud.

"Just, forget it, okay? Forget it. _Nox_." The light from his wand went out and before Lily could say anything, James had scrambled out of the closet and left her behind, feeling dazed and bewildered.


	16. Wanted

I just realized that two of the girls have "C" names and two have "L" names. That was totally unintentional, but it sure is interesting! Haha. I'm in a writing mood, apparently. Enjoy, and please review! If you give me your opinions/ideas I can make the story better! Hint hint. (:

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Lindsey snuck quietly into the library. It hadn't been closed long, so she kept her eyes and ears on full alert in case Madam Pince was still lurking about. She slipped into the dark library, looking for any sign of light to alert her to Chloe's presence. Dismay came over her as she swept the library and found no sign of her friend.

_Where is she? _Lindsey thought. If she was going to risk detention, it damn well better be worth it. Then a thought came to her. She looked up and to the left, and sure enough, a faint glow was emanating overhead from a far corner of the library. It was barely noticeable. Chloe had been reticent to tell the girls about her secret hiding place above the library, and she certainly refused to tell them how she got up there. Lindsey figured her crude method wouldn't be as safe as whatever Chloe did, but she had to talk to her.

"_Accio chair!" _she whispered, summoning several chairs to her. "_Wingardium Leviosa!"_ was the next spell she used, floating the chairs to make a rough staircase to the top of the library.

_I swear on Merlin's grave if she won't listen to me, I'm putting Cockroach Clusters in her breakfast tomorrow_, Lindsey thought as she haphazardly made her way up the makeshift chair-stairs. When she came to the last one, she gently let the other chairs down and hopped up on to the platform to her immediate left, from which the light was much brighter.

Chloe dropped her wand in surprised when Lindsey hoisted herself up onto the platform.

"Lindsey! Bloody hell! How did you find me!" she hissed. "No one is supposed to know how to get up here!"

"Yeah, well, I'm just as stubborn as you are. I figured something out," she grumbled, banging her ankle on the platform as she tried to situate herself in the cramped space.

"What do you want?" Chloe muttered, seeming to suddenly remember the two girls were fighting. Lindsey sighed.

"Chloe, I'm sorry. The things I said to you were way below the belt. I was really hurt by the way you reacted after the game and it was just easier to lash out," she said, massaging her ankle and staring at the wooden slats below her.

"I'm sorry, too. I just…I didn't expect to lose. It surprised me. I wanted to be happy for you, but I have such a hard time not achieving perfection," Chloe replied. Lindsey was surprised at how quickly Chloe was willing to apologize; though, the two had never fought before. She supposed it was a good thing that her best friend didn't insist on holding a grudge against her.

"Well, hey, no one's perfect. Not even you, unless you count being a perfect prat," Lindsey teased. Chloe smacked her leg.

"Well, I am happy for you. I'm glad you're doing well at Quidditch. It motivates me to do even better, so I guess that's a good thing," she said, smiling.

"I was worried you'd be difficult about this. Glad you've seen the error of your ways," Lindsey said, grinning. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"In a hurry to jump back on my crap list, are you?"

"Of course not. I just can't resist making fun of you, it's too easy. C'mon, gimme a big old lezzie hug," Lindsey said, lunging across the platform.

"Agh! Get off me!" Chloe said, trying not to laugh as Lindsey landed on top of her.

Lindsey rolled off her, and Chloe began gathering her studying materials.

"You were actually studying up here? Jeez, you're such a swot."

"Fine, I won't help you get off this platform," Chloe said, turning her back as she scooted towards the edge of the platform.

"Chloe! I was only kidding," Lindsey whined, scooting along after her. It turns out that it was simply a matter of facing the wall with your wand out and saying "_Anemoi Boreas_" and a gust of air would float you down to the ground, as long as you kept your wand pointed at the wall. The two girls quickly and quietly made their way back down the hallway, and shared another hug before splitting off towards their respective Houses.

Lily was happy to see Chloe and Lindsey sitting together with her and Cassie at the Gryffindor table the next morning. It made it easier to relay the story she had waiting for them.

After she had told them, Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Well, we told you, didn't we? Always knew he had a thing for you," she said knowingly.

"That doesn't help," Lily said icily.

"Well, you love Severus, right?" said Chloe.

"Well, yes. But…"

"But!" the other three girls exclaimed, leaning in with wide eyes. Lily sighed.

"He's just been hanging around those tossers from Slytherin so much," she said resentfully. "I'm scared of what they're doing to him. I know he doesn't think he's worth much, and from what I've read in the news, Voldemort is promising an awful lot of power to those willing to join him."

"You don't think Severus would join someone who obviously wants to hurt people like you, do you? It's simply illogical," Chloe said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, but that didn't stop him from calling me a Mudblood, did it?" Lily said bitterly. This silenced the three girls.

"Well, talk to him, then," Cassie said. "Maybe once he understands just how important is to you that he not associate with those goons, he'll stop listening to them."

"Hold on. I just got a great idea!" Lily said suddenly. "Cassie, you're in Slytherin. You could find out what they're up to and clue me in!" Cassie looked uncomfortable.

"I dunno Lils, won't he get mad if he finds out I'm spying?" Cassie said.

"Yeah, Lily, I'd be awfully upset if I were him," Chloe added.

"He won't find out. Come on, I just want to know if I have any reason to be concerned," Lily pleaded. Cassie twisted her finger around a strand of her short hair nervously.

"I mean, if you really want me to, I guess I can try…" Cassie said reluctantly.

"Thanks! You're the best!" Lily said, hugging Cassie quickly. "Now, I have to meet up with some of the other prefects before class starts, so I'll see you girls later!"

"Oh, hey Lily, don't forget. Tonight at midnight in the Room of Requirement is our first…session," Lindsey said, raising her eyebrows at 'session' so Lily couldn't possibly misunderstand. Lily frowned.

"Yeah, I won't forget. You're lucky the three of us have been doing so much research," Lily said. She still didn't approve of Lindsey's plan, but she, Chloe, and Cassie certainly weren't going to let Lindsey go through this without solid, factual research.

"The guys have been through it. Everything will be okay. Stop worrying and run off to meet your little prefect buddies," Lindsey said, waving her off with a smile.

After Herbology, Chloe stayed after to talk to Professor Sprout about whether or not she believed alihosty leaves could be combined with dittany to beneficial medical effect or some such nonsense, so Cassie took the opportunity to slip off to the far side of the lake, unseen. Hopefully Chloe hadn't seen which direction she went; she wanted to be alone at the moment.

Cassie loved her friends dearly and was very happy for them, but the loneliness that usually hid in the back of her mind was beginning to overwhelm her. Chloe and Sirius, though they bickered occasionally, could hardly be torn away from each other; Lindsey and Remus were the poster children of a romantic, happy relationship; and Lily, despite her worries over Severus, had two guys pining away for her. Cassie began threading flowers, accidentally crushing some of the petals in her irritation.

_It isn't fair_, Cassie thought miserably. _What am I doing wrong_?

She sighed, looked at the half formed flower wreath in her hands, and crushed it. She threw it into the lake as the tears began to pour out. She hated feeling inadequate.

"What's wrong with you?"

Cassie jumped at the male voice behind her. It was Peter again.

"Bloody hell, Peter, are you stalking me or something?" she grouched. Peter shuffled his feet uncomfortably.

"No, this just happens to be where I come when I want to be alone, too," he replied.

"Well, then why are you bothering me if you want to be alone?" she snapped, trying desperately to wipe the tears off her face. Peter sat down next to her.

"Misery loves company?" he suggested, smiling at her.

"Not always," Cassie muttered. They sat in silence for a moment.

"So, what's wrong now?" he asked again. Cassie felt a spike of irritation.

"Same as always. Just reveling in how much of a pathetic loser I am," she said snappishly, getting to her feet quickly. Peter scrambled up as well.

"Wait, Cassie, I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to upset you," he said desperately, grabbing her arm to stop her from leaving. She stopped and turned to face him.

"I hate seeing you upset," he continued. "You're…you're really pretty." He scuffed his foot in the grass shyly. Cassie was slightly stunned. Before she could react, a look of determination came over Peter's face. He pulled Cassie closer and, without warning, kissed her full on the lips.

Cassie wasn't sure how to react. She had expected her first kiss to be full of fireworks, nerves, butterflies…something. It wasn't unpleasant, though. It was warm. And for once, she felt wanted. So she kissed him back, letting his hands slide up her back and his lips move against hers. She wasn't sure what she was getting herself into, but at the moment, all she could think was, _Finally, someone noticed me._


	17. Animagus In Training

**The Corsaires and the Marauders**

Midnight came much more quickly than Lindsey anticipated. She actually found herself growing nervous. Of course, this didn't shake her resolve at all; she was just worried she wasn't a strong enough witch to accomplish this piece of magic.

The Corsaires and the Marauders met outside the Room of Requirement at exactly 12:00. The room was lightly equipped for practicing magic, with a few feathers, cushions, and books scattered throughout.

The eight wizards and witches stood in a loose circle. Lindsey noticed James uncomfortably trying to avoid ending up next to Lily; those two still hadn't talked about what happened the other night. Lindsey laced her fingers through Remus's.

"Okay, well," James said, breaking the tense silence. "Becoming an Animagus is extremely complex. If we were registered, we would have had to go to the Ministry of Magic and undergo tests and evaluations before we even began the process. The first thing you have to learn is how to use voiceless and wandless spells. You have to think the spell as you ingest the potion, which will come later. If you haven't mastered voiceless and wandless spell casting…well, it could go dangerously wrong." He said this last bit nervously, trying not to make eye contact with anyone in the room. Lindsey could feel her hands beginning to tremble. Remus stroked the back of her hand with his thumb soothingly.

James walked over to the cushions and placed one on a far bookshelf.

"James, what are you doing?" Chloe asked suddenly. "Get four."

"Four?"

"Lindsey's not the only one becoming an Animagus."

There was a sudden cacophony of raised voices at the pronouncement. All four Marauders and Lindsey were exclaiming their disapproval and refusal to let the other three girls undergo the transformation. Without warning, all five of their voices were silenced.

"I've already mastered voiceless spells," Chloe said, lowering her wand. She released the spell in the next instant, but their silence remained.

"Chloe…you guys, you can't do this. This is for me. It's too dangerous. You don't have any stake in it like I do," Lindsey said.

"You're doing it for Remus and we're doing it for you," Lily said firmly.

"Yeah, we don't trust those boys to restrain Remus AND keep you safe," Cassie teased.

"Chloe, please," Sirius said, his eyes begging her to reconsider. She hugged him.

"Come on, I'm a Ravenclaw. I can handle it," she said, smiling up at him.

"There's no point in arguing," Peter said. "If they're that determined, they're going to do it."

"Peter's right," James said. "We may as well start training them."

Cassie and Lindsey had a difficult time grasping voiceless spells. They had only just begun scratching the surface of voiceless spells in Charms and Transfiguration. Chloe, of course, spent her extra time studying ahead and had already mastered the skill. Lily seemed to have a natural aptitude for it.

"It helps me to part my lips a bit, as if I am actually about to say the spell," James said, passing behind Cassie and watching her struggle, her eyebrows drawn in concentration. They were attempting to summon the cushions to them with _Accio_.

Lily's cushion came zooming towards her on her third attempt. She grabbed it and her eyes lit up in excitement.

"I did it!" she squealed, holding the cushion and her wand aloft in triumph. Everyone congratulated her, though it seemed to do little to improve Lindsey and Cassie's concentration as Lily and Chloe soundlessly worked on levitating, summoning, and changing the color of the cushion in a separate corner.

"Maybe I'm just not cut out for this," Cassie muttered after her twelfth failed attempt.

"Come on, Cassie," Sirius said encouragingly. "It took me at least thirty tries, if not more. We thought Peter would never get the hang of it," he teased, nudging Peter in the ribs. Peter frowned, but said nothing to Sirius.

"You'll get it, Cassie, just keep trying," Peter said, offering her an encouraging smile.

"Half the battle is confidence," Remus stated. "If you doubt yourself, you're going to fail."

After an hour and a half, Lindsey finally managed to get the cushion to soar across the room into her arms without uttering a word. Shortly thereafter, Cassie accomplished the same feat. The two girls hugged each other tightly.

"I was about ready to call it a night," Lindsey said, feeling exhausted. This was way harder than she had anticipated.

"Me, too," Cassie said. "We have to keep practicing though. Just because it worked once doesn't mean it's going to work every time."

"Not tonight, ladies," James said sternly. "You're going to wear yourselves out. That's enough for one night. We'll come back tomorrow night and keep working on voiceless spells."

Lindsey and Cassie pouted. Lindsey knew she wanted to absorb as much information as she possibly could, and she couldn't wait to learn more. Remus could see the determination on Lindsey's face.

"No, James is right, Lindsey," Remus said firmly. "Don't wear yourself out. It's nearly two in the morning." Lindsey sighed.

"Well, I am pretty tired," she conceded. Chloe and Lily joined the group, their multicolored and rather battered looking cushions tucked under their arms.

"You guys did great," Sirius said, swiftly kissing Chloe on her forehead, causing Chloe to blush and let out a small giggle. Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Alright you two lovebirds, break it up. Time to get some shut eye," she said, yawning at the end as if to emphasize her point.

"Er, wait," Cassie said. "Can uh, can the girls hang back? I need to talk to you guys," she said. The boys shrugged, bid them goodnight, and left.

"What's up, Cassie?" Lily said as they all dropped onto a couch against the right wall. Cassie took a deep breath and told them what happened between her and Peter by the lake earlier.

"Well, it was bound to happen," Lindsey said, nodding. "I mean, we're all matched up with a Marauder now, aren't we?"

"Hardly," Lily said, shooting her a deadly glare.

"As good as," Lindsey said stubbornly.

"Calm down," Chloe interjected. "Well, Cassie, how did you feel?"

"I mean, it wasn't fireworks or butterflies or anything…" she muttered. Now her three friends looked at her with concern.

"But Cassie, did you enjoy it?" Lily pressed.

"I mean, I guess. It just…it felt nice to, you know…feel wanted," she said timidly. Her three closest friends launched themselves on her.

"Oh, Cassie, why would you say that?" Lindsey cried, hugging Cassie.

"Yeah, Cassie, you're amazing!" Lily said, stuck in the middle of the group hug.

"I can't breathe," Cassie whined from under the pile of girls. Giggling a little, the girls disentangled themselves.

"Seriously though, Cassie. It's not it was your first kiss or anything," Lindsey said.

"Actually…" Cassie said uncomfortably. The Corsaires stared at her, wide-eyed.

"You never told us you hadn't kissed anyone before, Cassie," Chloe said softly.

"Well, I was embarrassed! So many guys seem to…seem to like you girls, I just felt stupid not having a lot of experience," Cassie replied, her face growing hot.

"Oh, Cassie! You know we wouldn't judge you for that," Lily said, taking hold of her friend's hand.

"Yeah, and if you'd told us sooner we would have fixed you up with a real hottie!" Lindsey said, playfully nudging Cassie's side. Cassie couldn't help but laugh.

"You know you're more important to us than any guy, Cassie," Chloe said, taking Cassie's other hand.

Cassie smiled, her uneasy feelings relieved…for now. She still couldn't shake a lingering voice in the back of her head that refused to let her stop comparing herself to her friends.

Before they knew it, it was the day before Christmas break. Chloe had refused to let them continue any more Animagus sessions, as their homework loads became harder to keep up with as the break approached. However, now that the first half of term was winding down, Lindsey was excited to pick back up again. Surprisingly, none of the Corsaires or the Marauders opted to go home. Severus, also, had chosen to stay at Hogwarts.

The first day of break found the eight students curled up by the Gryffindor common room fireplace. It was a bit crowded, but no one had wanted to go outside due to the imminent blizzard.

"What are we going to do? I'm bored," Lindsey complained.

"Quit complaining, you big baby," Chloe said, smacking Lindsey with a nearby pillow.

"I have a date tonight," Lily murmured, not looking up from her copy of the Daily Prophet. James rolled his eyes and sneered, but said nothing.

"We could have another learning session," Lindsey said excitedly.

"For once I'm not the only one who wants to do some learning over the break," Chloe said, grinning.

"This is exciting learning. You only want to learn boring stuff," Lindsey teased.

"We could have a party," Sirius offered.

"Hey, I like that idea!" Cassie said, suddenly excited.

"Who would we invite? Where would we get decorations? What would the theme be?" Chloe started. Sirius cut her off with a kiss.

"Stop planning so much," he said, sliding his arm around her shoulders to pull her closer.

"I like the idea of the learning session better," Lindsey grouched, folding her arms over her chest. Her legs were draped over Remus's lap, and since Chloe was in between Remus and Sirius on the couch, Lindsey started poking Chloe with her foot.

"C'mon Chloe, let me learn things!" Lindsey said. Chloe swatted her foot away.

"Stop that! I don't see any reason we couldn't do both," Chloe said.

"I wish this was a faster process. I know another…ah, cycle, is coming up," Lindsey said carefully, in case any prying ears were listening. Remus sighed.

"I know. Don't worry about it. These guys will keep an eye on me," he said, smiling.

At 8 that evening, Lily met Severus at the entrance to Hogsmeade. She didn't know how he'd done it, but somehow Severus had managed to obtain special permission for them to go to Hogsmeade this evening. Lily was nervous. She still didn't know anything about Severus's activities with his Slytherin friends, and Cassie hadn't been able to get any information on them. The other Slytherins treated Cassie as an outsider, due to the company she kept on a regular basis. Additionally, the conversation that had passed between her and James in the Quidditch supplies closet was still weighing on her mind. Why was this bothering her so much?

Severus intertwined his fingers with hers and they walked along the snow covered street. There was a small café towards the end of the street that not many Hogwarts students seemed to know about. They usually got too distracted by Zonko's and Honeydukes to make it this far, Lily supposed.

It was a small café, decorated in neutral colors that made her think of hot chocolate. Severus pulled her chair out and then took a seat himself. They perused the menu and placed their orders. Lily couldn't help but notice that Severus seemed nervous, which was weird. She was his girlfriend, after all.

"What's the matter, Sev?" she asked.

"Nothing!" he said quickly. "I…I've never really taken anyone out on a date before." He turned crimson and stared at the table.

"Aw, Sev! That's so sweet," she said, smiling. "I'm glad I'm your first!"

"Me, too," he said, a relieved smile forming on his face.

They chatted until their food came, mostly about Potions. Lily loved hearing Severus's ideas for new potions. He was so innovative and really understood the chemistry of the different Potion ingredients. Lily happened to glance out the window and almost jumped out of her chair. James and Sirius were sauntering down the street, laughing and occasionally chucking snowballs at each other. She figured they must have snuck out; it was one of their favorite things to do. Lily couldn't stop her mind from drifting back to that conversation in the closet. What was she going to say to him? Why did she even think she _needed_ to say anything to him? She didn't owe him anything! But…she still couldn't figure out his jealousy. James Potter had everything. Why…?

"Lily?"

She snapped her eyes back to Severus, and knew from the look on his face that he had seen where her gaze and her mind had wandered.

"Sorry, Sev, I was lost in thought," she said light-heartedly. "What were you saying about a potion for werewolves?"

But he was in a somber mood for the rest of the evening. Lily felt terrible and tried to be extra affectionate and playful. It seemed to work for a bit, but she knew, deep down, that he was re-living his old insecurities. It made her feel sick to her stomach.


	18. The Cold, Hard Truth

**Annnd I'm back! Almost 2 years later, sheesh! Between graduation and doing the Disney College Program and living on my own…I guess I forgot about my passion for writing. Well, here I am with a new chapter! Yay!**

"Lily!" Cassie gasped, dashing into the library wildly. Madame Pince shot her the filthiest look she could muster, but Cassie didn't care. Lily stood up immediately, alarm shooting across her face.

"Cassie? What's going on?"

"It's…er, here, let's go somewhere more private." Madame Pince was marching across the library, so Lily shoved her things into her bag and the girls departed quickly.

Desperate for immediate privacy, Cassie launched the two of them into the nearest closet she could find.

"Lily…it's Severus."

"What? Is he okay?"

"I…I mean, I finally overheard something. From the other Slytherins. I slipped out before they noticed me, but Severus was there and…I just don't know what to think."

Lily's face hardened. This was exactly what she had feared. She wanted to tell Cassie to be quiet, to forget what she had heard. But Lily knew that she didn't want part of Severus's life to be shrouded in mystery and lies.

"Well, go on, then."

"I…I heard Wilkes, and Avery, and a few other people…they were talking about a plan, a plan to cement You-Know-Who's presence here, at the school. Lily, I didn't hear everything, but it sounded really sinister…they were talking about laying powerful curses on things, to hurt students, and I think…I think they know Remus's secret!" Cassie ended her monologue in tears. Lily was dead silent.

"How? How could they know?" she whispered. Her heart thundered against her chest.

"I don't know, Lily, and I don't know how much Severus is actually involved but I think he was the one that put them on to Remus. He was talking about how weird it was that Remus disappears every month, but I didn't hear everything, I was scared they'd hurt me, Lily-

"Cassie, slow down. It's okay." Lily was amazed by her own calm. Yes, she was upset, but there was a voice whispering through the pain that she'd known all along something like this would happen. "We…we just have to…we have to do something to throw them off."

"Like what? Lily, Severus is really smart, I'm sure he's noticed more things and—"

"I'll talk to him. I'll sort this out."

Lily wasn't sure where Severus was at the moment, but she began her search in the dungeons around the Slytherin common room, since that was where Cassie had just come from. Cassie had left to round up the other two Corsaires and fill them in on the situation.

Lily couldn't even fathom what she was going to say to Severus. Her emotions were jumbled together in an indiscernible mess; anger, confusion, and a myriad of other conflicting feelings all jockeying for position as she walked the cold halls of the dungeons. That's when she saw him—departing the Slytherin common room, surrounded by the very people Cassie had just named as his cohorts.

He saw her, surprise sparking in his eyes. His friends jeered at him, but he shrugged them off and walked over to Lily. He smiled and tried to kiss her, but she pulled away.

"How dare you," she hissed. Her eyes were bright with anger, her jaw clenched so tightly she could barely form the words.

"What? Lily, what's going on?" Severus looked hurt and confused, which only enraged Lily further.

"I know what you're planning. I know about the cursed objects, about you trying to expose Remus, I know everything, Severus!" The pain of it all began to overwhelm her, and the tears came quickly, stinging her eyes as they fell.

Snape look horrified. "Lily, how could you possibly—I don't understand—it's not what you think it is!"

"Oh, isn't it, Severus? You're not planning on hurting innocent people so that vile monster can gain more influence at Hogwarts?"

"No, Lily, please, you've got it all wrong, we're not hurting people! I'm not hurting anyone."

"I'd love to hear your explanation, Severus."

"Lily, I…I really, I'm not supposed to talk about it, I could get in serious trouble," Snape said, looking highly uncomfortable.

"Oh? Covering up for your friends? That's really quite sweet, Sev," Lily spat.

"Lils, you don't understand! It's…they're very powerful, very influential, and he's promised me so much." Snape couldn't stop the pain from spreading across his face.

"So you're admitting it. You're wrapped up in their evil plots."

"No! It's not evil. I don't want to hurt anyone, Lily, but there's some good ideas going around, if I could just show them a better way…"

Lily laughed incredulously.

"You're smarter than that, Severus. I know you are. You can't possibly believe these morons are going to accept people like me? That they're going to overthrow the magical world peacefully?"

"You don't know what it's like to be hated!" Severus shouted suddenly, and there were tears streaming down his face now, too. "You can't begin to understand what it's like for me, and I finally found people who want me to be me! They encourage me! They don't want me to be someone different!"

Lily was stunned at his outburst, and staggered to the wall. She clung to the nearby window sill as if her body would float away, sobbing openly now.

"I encouraged you, Severus!" she cried, soaking her sleeve as she wiped her face. "I believed in you! I wanted you to be the best person you could be, I convinced everyone that you weren't evil or creepy or cruel! And you sneak around behind my back, plotting with those losers, those people who do hate people like me! You convince yourself that they actually care and want to support you but they're using you, Severus! They're using you and you're too...too...power hungry to see it!"

"Lily, please try to understand, I—"

"I'm not interested, Severus. Please. You've hurt me enough. I can't handle this anymore. I thought you changed." Lily reached for him, touching his face softly. Her sobs came out strangled, now, and Severus grabbed her hand. The hall was empty, and silent except for Lily's crying.

"I have changed, Lily. Please, _please_," he whispered, his voice cracking.

"Then explain Severus. I want to understand."

"I want to Lily, I swear, but I can't. I can't Lily, and I'm sorry, please, I love you," Severus sobbed, clinging to her hand almost painfully.

Sharp, shooting pains pierced Lily's heart. This wasn't how this was supposed to end. Unable to cope, Lily turned from Severus and fled from the dungeons.

"Bloody hell! Lily, what…are you okay?!" Chloe cried, springing to her feet. Lily had just come running toward the lake, where her three best friends were gathered, anxiously awaiting her arrival. Despite the snow and the unrelenting cold, it was the most privacy they could get at the moment.

Lily sank to the ground, sobbing helplessly. Chloe, Lindsey, and Cassie could think of nothing to do but sit with her, hold her hands and wait for her to be able to form coherent sentences. Finally, after a few minutes, the entire story came out.

"Oh, Lily," Lindsey whispered, tears forming in her own eyes.

"What do I do? I can't…he chose them over me!" Lily cried.

"What can you do, sweetie?" Chloe said softly, wrapping her arms around her friend. "I don't think he wanted to choose them. I think he probably meant it when he said he loved you—no, listen to me." Lily was shaking her head. "He's never had it easy, Lils, and those guys are offering him power over the people who have made his life hell. I'm not saying it's right. I'm just saying, maybe it wasn't meant to be. Sometimes, love just isn't enough."

Lily nodded slowly, wiping the freezing tears off her face.

"You're right, Chloe," she said, and Lindsey and Cassie nodded. "I just…I thought I could change him. Make him see that not everyone is out to hurt him."

"You tried, Lily. You were good for him, really," Lindsey said, squeezing Lily's hand.

"Let's get inside. I'm sure the house elves would be more than happy to supply us with butterbeer," Chloe said. Lily nodded, and they made their way to the kitchen in silence.


	19. The Christmas Party

**This chapter is long, but fun! Hope you like it!**

Christmas was drawing nearer, and the Corsaires were doggedly throwing themselves into Animagus training. Lily approached their lessons with a particular vengeance, and was progressing in wandless spellwork even faster than Chloe.

"Wandless spells are exceptionally difficult," James explained as the girls prepared for another night of practice. "Our wands are how we channel our magic. Without them, most spells are useless. However, if you have a strong connection with your wand, you can create magic without touching it."

"We know, we know, magic is hard, et cetera and so forth, let's give it a go!" Lily said impatiently. James cocked an eyebrow, but said nothing. Her sudden change in demeanor over the past couple of days had not gone unnoticed by the Marauders, but all their attempts to pry an explanation from the girls had gotten them nothing except a couple of Silencing Spells.

They worked for a couple of hours, mostly in silence. By the end of the session, Lily had managed to coax her cushion into levitating off the ground for a few seconds before it gave up and fell back to the floor, and Chloe's had given a sort of feeble, pathetic turn.

"Don't be frustrated, ladies, it's very difficult stuff," Sirius said encouragingly as they made their way to Gryffindor's common room.

"Ugh, I don't even want to think about it right now, my head hurts," Lindsey said, rubbing her temples.

"It's not too late to back out!" Remus said, smiling a little.

"Yeah, you know I'm not doing that," Lindsey said, glaring at him. He chuckled.

"Of course not."

As everyone ascended the staircase, James reached out and grabbed Lily's arm.

"Wait, Lily, can I talk to you for a second?" Lily stopped, looking impatient. James sighed.

"I don't know what happened, and I'm not going to bother asking because I know you won't tell me. I just want you to know that I'm…I'm worried about you. You haven't been yourself." He stood there awkwardly, apparently unsure what else he had intended to say.

Lily's apathetic mask dissolved a little. "I…er, thanks, Potter, er, James. I appreciate it. I'm fine though." She hurried to catch up with her friends, who were already waiting in the common room.

"What was that-?" Lindsey started, but Lily cut her off.

"Later, okay, later!"

James entered a moment later, and the two groups were reunited around the fire.

"Chloe, learning is hard, how do you deal with it?" Lindsey whined. She laid down on the couch with her head in Remus's lap. He stroked her hair absentmindedly, gazing into the fire. Chloe rolled her eyes, curling up in Sirius's lap after he took a seat in an armchair.

"Because I'm the smart one, that's why," she said mockingly. She was rewarded with a pillow to the face.

"Don't get sassy with me," Lindsey said. Silence descended on the room. It was uncomfortable and oppressive. Lily wrapped her arms around her knees and stared into the fire. Her heartbreak was almost tangible.

"So, uh…about that Christmas party. It feels a bit tragic around here, don't you think, Prongs?" Sirius said.

"Yes, rather dull and boring if I do say so myself," James replied.

"So many people went home, though, who exactly would we invite?" Cassie said.

"Ahh, anyone who wants to come. You're the only Slytherin allowed, though," Sirius said playfully. Cassie rolled her eyes.

"Gee, thanks, Black," she said sarcastically.

"It shouldn't be too hard, we can have it here, in the common room," Chloe said thoughtfully. "We can get food off the house elves easy, they love us…everything's already decorated for Christmas…I'VE GOT A GREAT IDEA!"

She nearly toppled out of Sirius's lap as he jumped at her sudden exclamation.

"Merlin's bloody trousers, Chloe, you gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry, sorry, but I was thinking, the Muggle side of my family always does this wonderful game called White Elephant—"

"What the bloody hell is an elephant?" James said.

"It's a non-magical animal, hush up! Anyways, everyone brings a gift. It can be a gag gift or a real gift, doesn't matter. We draw numbers to see who goes first. The first person picks a random gift from the pile. The second person has the choice of either unwrapping a new gift or stealing someone's gift that already went. When your gift is stolen, you get to steal a different gift or open a new one."

"Ooh, I love that game! Except my family calls it Dirty Santa!" Lindsey said excitedly.

"Sounds like fun!" Peter said. "But where are we going to get gifts?"

"Like I said, it can be anything…a twig, if you want to be a real prat," Chloe said, grinning.

"Sounds like my kind of game!" James said mischievously. Chloe stood up, clapping excitedly.

"Okay! Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve, so we may as well have it then…Lindsey, you and Cassie go 'round and invite people. Lily and I will go sweet talk the house elves. You boys…er, find something useful to do, okay?"

"All right, bossy," Remus teased.

As it turned out, the only useful thing the boys were able to do was enchant random items to turn into sprigs of holly or mistletoe when touched. This gave the girls quite a start at the beginning of the day, but as Christmas Eve wore on, they began to tire of the endless shower of greenery.

"We'll get them back tonight, no worries," Chloe said, trying to calm her breathing after one of her textbooks turned into a fistful of mistletoe with a loud _snap_. She had figured out how to counteract the charm earlier that morning, and rapped the plant smartly with her wand. Her book returned normal.

"Prats. How many people are coming this evening?" Lily inquired.

"Not many, to be honest. It'll probably be us plus maybe four other people." Lindsey leaned back in her chair, looking up at the beautifully decorated ceiling of the Ravenclaw common room. It was dazzling with white fairy lights.

"Hmm. Ah, well, I'm sure we'll still have a good time." Lily said. Her smile, however, looked tired.

"You better. Don't make me tickle you," Lindsey threatened.

"Better cheer up, Lily, you don't want to be on the business end of one of her Tickling Jinxes," Chloe said seriously. Lily couldn't help but giggle.

"I'd like to see her try," she said, grinning.

"You're lucky it's nearly Christmas, I'm feeling rather forgiving today," Lindsey said lazily, reclining even further across the comfy armchair.

Later that evening, the Corsaires were gathered around the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, waiting for the other guests.

"Are you sure this is okay?" asked a quiet Ravenclaw girl as she approached the portrait. Chloe knew her vaguely; she was a year ahead of the Corsaires. She had long blonde hair, and her huge eyes gave her a look of having constantly just been startled.

"Ahh, of course," Lindsey said. "I think the professors gave up on trying to keep us out of each other's common rooms ages ago."

"Yes, but only because you'd blow something up otherwise. Did you check that mistletoe for nargles?" the girl said seriously, gazing warily at a hairclip that had _snapped_ into a sprig of mistletoe when Cassie pulled it from her bag.

"Err…what? What was your name again?"

"Delilah," she said, continuing to gaze at the mistletoe and tapping her gift absentmindedly. Chloe rapped the mistletoe with her wand so Cassie could continue about clipping her hair back.

"Anyways…oh, here comes Piper!" Lindsey said.

Piper was a fourth year Hufflepuff. She had short, wavy black hair and a friendly smile that made her very approachable. Lindsey had recommended her to Chloe when she'd seen Piper struggling with a Transfiguration essay one evening.

"Hey ladies! Wow, short turn out, huh?" she said, grinning at the small group before her.

"Yeah, we're giving another five minutes for the others to turn up so we can get them into the common room. Looks like this might be it though," Lindsey said, looking down the dark hallway.

Only one other person showed up, a sixth year boy named Bennett from Hufflepuff with long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Lily granted them entrance to the common room, where they were promptly doused in a shower of snow.

After much screaming and swearing, Chloe had the presence of mind to charm the snow off of them. She glanced quickly around the room, spotted the boys howling with laughter in a corner, and sent the snow flying at them. The boys cursed at having their prank turned around on them, and the girls snorted in laughter as Chloe dried their clothes off.

"Life sure is exciting around here," Piper said as Chloe used her wand to dry her off.

"You have no idea," Chloe replied, rolling her eyes.

Remus had evaporated the snow and was working the same Drying Charm on his friends.

"Can we have a normal Christmas party, now?" Lily said impatiently, tapping her foot. James grinned.

"Of course, Evans, of course. A big thank you to our sweet lady friends for bringing the feast," he said, gesturing to a long table Lily had conjured earlier that had plates of sweet and flagons of butterbeer across it.

Everyone helped themselves to the food, and they sat around the fireplace chatting. Chloe and Lindsey gave Piper Quidditch advice; Piper, like Lindsey, loved flying but was nervous to try out. Bennett, who was Muggle-born, told them stories about life in America, where he was from.

After filling their stomachs with delicious treats, Chloe stood up in front of the fireplace.

"Okay guys it's time for the game!" she proclaimed enthusiastically. "I hope everyone brought a gift! Place your gift in the center of the table here," she said, pointing to the coffee table in front of the fireplace. Everyone obliged as Chloe wrote numbers across a piece of parchment. She used her wand to cut them up swirl them in the air.

"Okay, everyone take a number!" she chimed. She glanced over at Sirius, who was smiling widely at her; she blushed at his doting look and turned back to face the crowd at large. "Who got number one?"

"I did!" Cassie said, and she reached forward and pulled a package wrapped in red paper with gold ribbon off the table. She opened it to reveal a set of nail polish. The packaging claimed the polish would give off real sparks after it dried.

"Wow, lucky me! Thanks!" she said excitedly. Chloe smiled; the gift had been from her.

"Number two right here!" James said. He leaned forward to examine the gifts on the table.

"You sure you don't want to steal my gift?" Cassie teased. "This orange would really bring out your eyes," she said, waving the polish at him. Sirius barked a laugh.

"She's on to you, mate."

"Shut up, Padfoot," James snapped as he pulled a present wrapped in plain white paper from the pile. He opened it to reveal a voluminous, lacey pair of women's underwear. Everyone laughed hysterically.

"Oi! Real clever, real funny," he said irritably, dropping the gag gift to the floor. "Your mum could probably use these, Sirius," he said, kicking them over to him. Sirius wrinkled his nose.

"Urgh, disgusting!" he said, recoiling from the underwear and kicking them under James's chair.

"Okay, okay, who's next?" Chloe said. She pinched Sirius's arm lightly and gave him a teasing smile.

"I think I'm third," Delilah said quietly. She pulled a small package from the pile and opened it quickly. Inside, she found a bag of Bertie Bott's Ever Flavor Beans. Upon closer inspection, however, they claimed to be "Interesting Tastes Edition."

"Fascinating! I wonder if they will have grass flavor," she said thoughtfully. Everyone exchanged uncomfortable looks as Peter leaned forward to pick a package.

Peter opened his quickly to reveal a book about Quidditch plays.

"Damn, why couldn't I have been fifth?" James grumbled.

"Because I am! Thanks very much, Peter," Chloe said cheerfully, plucking the book from his hands.

"No worries, it's not like I would have gotten much use from it," he said as he picked another package from the pile. A roll of something silver was inside. He investigated it curiously, and pulled off a sticky strip. Everyone from Muggle-related families laughed, while the pure-blooded wizards looked confused.

"It's duct tape!" Lily said, laughing. "Muggles use it to fix things."

"I think I prefer the book," Peter said, pulling off a strip of tape and sticking it to Remus's arm.

"Oi!" Remus said, pulling the tape off quickly and sticking it on Peter's face.

"Okay kids, calm down!" Chloe said, as Peter went to pull another strip of tape off. "Who's sixth?"

The game continued as such: Bennett received a pair of mismatched socks; Piper stole a pack of color-changing hair clips from Lindsey, who ended up with a bar of Frog Spawn Soap; Sirius received what appeared to be a normal quill, which upon further inspection revealed to be a joke quill that shot ink to his face (this gave Chloe quite a laugh); and Lily happily stole a set of Muggle bath products from Remus, who gratefully chose another package that contained a ridiculous headband that magically changed from reindeer to Santa hat to elf and back again.

After a couple of hours, the food had mostly disappeared and the fire was getting low. They continued chatting until staggered yawns from Lindsey, Cassie, and Peter signaled the end of the night.

"Well this was great fun," Chloe said. "Great idea, James. For once."

"Hey, wasn't this my idea?" Sirius said, feigning offense. Chloe yawned.

"I'm too tired to care," she said, snuggling against Sirius's side.

Piper, Bennett, and Delilah said goodnight and departed, leaving the Corsaires and the Marauders alone in the Gryffindor common room.

"We should probably get to bed, tomorrow's Christmas!" Cassie said.

"You're probably right," Lindsey said through a yawn. "Come on ladies, let's go."

Lily watched her friends departing. Remus, Peter, and Sirius retreated up the stairs. James lingered behind, clearing the table and the mess from the packages. Lily watched him curiously; she would have expected him to just leave the mess for the house elves.

"Sweet of you, but the house elves will be awfully bored when they come in to clean," she said playfully.

"Ah, but everyone knows me for my consideration and kindness, Evans," he said, shooting her a dashing smile as he Vanished the wrappings.

Lily couldn't help but snort. "Careful, Potter, wouldn't want you to be struck by lightning."

"What?" he said, looking confused. Apparently this was a Muggle saying. Lily shook her head.

"It's a Muggle saying. For when someone is lying. Nevermind," she said, waving her hand dismissively.

"Ah," he said thoughtfully. They stood awkwardly across from each other; the common room was clean and empty.

"Are…um, are you feeling much better? You seemed in a better mood," James said, breaking the silence.

Lily suddenly realized he was right; she hadn't thought about Severus until James said this. Unfortunately, this brought all the emotions rushing back, and her eyes started to water.

"Damn, I didn't mean to upset you, please don't cry," James said, panic lighting up his eyes. Lily wiped her face and laughed lightly.

"It's…it's fine, James, honestly. I appreciate it," she said honestly. "I just…Severus and I had a falling out. I don't think….we're not together anymore." She cast her eyes downward, biting the edge of her lip until she tasted blood. It was still hard for her to believe everything that had transpired over the past couple of days. She hadn't even seen him since the confrontation.

"I see," James said quietly. Lily expected him to laugh, to say that it was about time, or to make some joke at her expense. Instead, he tentatively stepped forward and hugged her. "It'll be okay, Lily. I'm sorry."

Lily was so astonished by this uncharacteristic display from the high and mighty Seeker that she couldn't bring herself to respond. Her throat constricted, the tears starting to leak from her eyes.

"I…thanks, James, really, you don't have to pretend for my sake," she said softly, backing away from his grasp. James looked hurt.

"Lily, I'm not—"

But she fled to her dormitory, not looking back.


	20. Love and Loss

The rest of Christmas break flew by. After spending a lovely Christmas Day opening gifts, gorging on delicious food, and engaging in an all-out snowball war with the Marauders, the Corsaires suddenly realized that classes were nearly upon them. Chloe was beginning to panic once the New Year rolled around.

"Oh, Merlin, two and a half weeks until our next Quidditch match! I need to schedule practices! Oh, and I never did finish that Potions essay…bloody stupid, having homework over the break…"

"Chloe, please," Lindsey said, exasperated. "We're all behind!" The girls were congregated in the Hufflepuff common room today, mostly for easy access to study session snacks.

Lily munched thoughtfully on a Chocolate Frog. "Do you think Melliwin the Merry contributed more to the discovery of Cheering Charms than Jandarin the Jolly?"

"Lily, I'm surprised at you. And Chloe! What's gotten into you guys?" Cassie teased.

"Boys," Lindsey said, nodding seriously.

"Eww, Lindsey, I don't know about you but no one's gotten into me," Chloe said, wrinkling her nose.

"Well that wasn't where my mind was going, but don't even try to pretend like you haven't fantasized about Sirius," Lindsey snapped back. Chloe blushed.

"Shhh, I'm trying to write an essay," Chloe said shortly. The other girls laughed.

"Ahh, damn, I left my Muggle Studies book in the Slytherin common room. I'll be back," Cassie said, looking up from rummaging in her rucksack.

"Hurry back! Too bad you're the only one of us in that class, little miss pure blood," Lindsey joked.

"Oh, ha," Cassie said, rolling her eyes as she disappeared through the portrait hole.

"Cassie!"

She jumped back against the wall, heart pounding wildly. Peter Pettigrew had just rounded the corner.

"Peter! You scared me half to death," Cassie said, clutching her chest. Peter grinned sheepishly.

"Sorry. I'm glad I ran into you though. I was wondering if, ah…" He trailed off, blushing and rubbing his arm self-consciously.

"If what?" Cassie asked, though she was fairly sure where this question was going.

"I was wondering if, you know, when the Valentine's Hogsmeade trip comes up, if you know, if you would maybe…go with me?" he stammered.

"That sounds lovely!" Cassie said, grinning. Peter looked relieved.

"Great! Wonderful! Well…ahh…" He stepped closer and kissed her on the cheek. "See you around, Cassie."

They parted ways. As Cassie descended into the dungeons, she wondered if this was how it felt to be asked on a date. She expected to be elated, but mostly she was just…confused. She did look forward to spending time with Peter; he had been a comfort to her. She felt a feathery-light sensation in her stomach; were those the fabled "butterflies in your stomach" everyone talks about? Her mind drifted back to the conversation she'd had with her friends after hers and Peter's first kiss. She steeled herself; no, she had enjoyed that kiss, and she was going to give Peter a fair chance.

Soon, the castle was full again. The halls seemed louder than usual as students swapped holiday tales and showed off their presents. Chloe immediately tracked down all the Ravenclaw Quidditch players and handed out their new training schedules. Lily cornered Professor Slughorn and sob storied her way into a new Potions partner. The Marauders seemed to have hit a stroke of inspiration during the last week of break, because the girls found themselves constantly looking over their shoulders for things to trip, jinx, or otherwise assault them.

Potions lessons had become unbearably painful for Lily. She was grateful to Professor Slughorn for listening to her pleas, but she was growing incredibly weary of racing to class early and clearing her station painstakingly slowly so as not to have to interact with Severus. The few times she dared to steal glances at him quite frankly scared her. The change in his demeanor was visible. Cold, surly, forever lost in his mind. She tried to put the worry out of her mind and instead focus on her studies, which helped her help Chloe, who was increasingly overwhelmed by her Captain duties and class load.

"I did the math and we are in dead last right now! DEAD LAST!" Chloe cried. "I can't accept this! I mean we are only ten points behind Slytherin so that's moderately acceptable, perhaps after I finish my Arthimancy essay and practice for Transfiguration I can whip up a couple of new plays to try against Slytherin next week…"

"Oh, Chloe, please, not this again," Lindsey whined.

"Easy for you to say! The only match anyone is excited for is Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor and that's not for another month!" Chloe snarled.

"Ah yes, all those rumors about being the only Seeker to rival James Potter…no wonder we're in first," Lindsey said smugly.

"Hufflepuff is in second," Chloe hissed acidly.

"Merlin, do we have to start this again?" Cassie groaned.

"Hey, beautiful!" Their argument was interrupted by Sirius Black appearing in the library. He stooped down to kiss Chloe on the cheek.

"And here we see a wild prat, wandering about in unfamiliar territory," Lindsey said in fake awe.

"Oh, quite clever," Sirius said with a laugh. He _Accio_-d a chair to him and sat at the table. "So, Cassie, getting excited for your date with Peter next month? Honestly, it's all he can talk about, quite annoying really."

"Your WHAT!?" An explosion of scandalized cries erupted from their table. Madame Pince stuck her head out from the Restricted Section to throw angry looks their way.

"Shhhhh! I guess I forgot to tell you," Cassie said sheepishly. Sirius simply looked dumbstruck.

"You bet your arse! When did this happen?" Lindsey hissed.

"Right at the end of break, I bumped into him on my way to the common room, and he asked me to go with him to Hogsmeade on Valentine's Day," she whispered.

"About time something else happened!" Chloe whispered back. Cassie giggled.

"Yeah, I'm pretty excited," she said, smiling.

"Hey, Chloe, you and I haven't had an actual date yet," Sirius said suddenly. "My, where are my manners? We should have a date that weekend. Romantic atmosphere and what not," he said. Chloe giggled.

"Why, sir! I would be honored," she said.

That evening found Lindsey and Remus curled up in the Room of Requirement. Lindsey had claimed she'd be studying Defense Against the Dark Arts, but instead she had a sketch book propped open against her knees. Remus had his arm draped across her stomach, and she leaned back against his side as she drew.

"Wow, Lindsey, that's quite good," he said, looking over from his Charms book. Lindsey blushed, thankful he couldn't see.

"Oh, thanks! It's nothing, really," she said, continuing to sketch.

"Is that Chloe?" he asked.

"Oh! Ah, yes. I guess I've been worried about her, what with the upcoming Quidditch match against Slytherin. Whoever loses this match is in a good position to come in last overall, though of course nothing is for sure for a couple of months…I dunno, it's been on my mind a lot. My own success in Quidditch doesn't make it better." She frowned as she began to sketch out the goal posts on the Quidditch pitch her pencil was bringing to life.

"Ahh, you shouldn't feel guilty for your success," Remus said, kissing the top of her head. "What are those weird objects you're using?"

Lindsey explained all her various Muggle art tools to him as she used them.

"Have you considered doing this for a living, Lindsey? It's really amazing," Remus said once the drawing was complete. Lindsey laughed.

"I've thought about it, but art's not a real living, is it? Honestly, I should do something more practical. Get a nice steady job at the Ministry of Magic or something," she said.

"Lindsey," Remus said, shifting so they could look at each other's faces, "you're not a Ministry of Magic type of girl," he said, smiling. He gripped both of her hands. "You should follow your dreams. Do what you're passionate about."

Lindsey blushed. "Wow, I'm surprised at how intensely you feel about this," she said, barely meeting his eyes.

"Well, I want you to be happy. And it'd be a shame to waste all that talent," he said, leaning forward to kiss her softly on the lips. Lindsey shivered.

"Mmm…well, I'd hate for you to waste your talents, too," she said, leaning forward to kiss him again. He chuckled.

"What talents?"

"Oh, you know, "she giggled, pushing him against the arm of the couch and kissing him more deeply. His hands found her waist and pulled her close against him. Lindsey groaned against his mouth. She pulled herself up so she was straddling him.

"You tease," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his. He rubbed his hands up and down her back.

"Oh no, I just know what you like, my love," he muttered back.

"What?" she said, leaning back and looking at him curiously.

"What?" he repeated.

"Your what?"

"Oh. That. Um?" Remus looked thunderstruck, as if he truly didn't realize what he just said.

"Are you trying to be sneaky?" she said, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"No! Does that really count?" he said, feeling cornered. Lindsey laughed.

"Only if you say it does," she said, her breath coming more shallowly.

"Okay then," he said softly, pulling her closer and kissing her softly on the lips.

"Lindsey Ceridwen, I love you." He punctuated his sentence with a long, tender kiss.

"I love you too, Remus Lupin," she whispered back, returning the kiss more hungrily.

The morning of the Ravenclaw and Slytherin Quidditch match dawned cold and gloomy. Chloe had devoured plays and strategies from her new book instead of a real breakfast, but the hunger wasn't touching her yet.

"Cassie, no matter what happens, I promise not to fly off the handle or go mad or anything," Chloe said as they walked down to the Quidditch pitch together. Cassie laughed.

"It's okay. I'm pretty sure we don't stand a chance against you guys," she said.

"We won't make assumptions," Chloe said with a wink.

Soon, she was frozen to her broom high above the Quidditch pitch. She wished bitterly for a spell to keep her fingers from going numb, but tried to ignore the freezing pain in her fingers as she sent the Quaffle sailing for Ravenclaw's first goal.

Chloe was extremely proud of her team; even the World's Worst Beaters weren't doing an awful job. Unfortunately, Slytherin's Chasers were extremely well prepared. The game dragged on, and it started to snow. Chloe was becoming increasingly annoyed with her Seeker.

_Hurry up and find the damn Snitch so we can get to a warm fire_, she found herself thinking bitterly.

Ravenclaw was up 90-80. Chloe raced down the field, implementing a new feint she learned from her book. It was successful; Ravenclaw scored, pulling ahead by 20 points.

As she turned her broom, two things happened very quickly: the crowd started screaming as Litchfield went into a dive—_she found the Snitch!_—and she heard Peroski yelling from her right. Suddenly there was a resounding _thunk_ on the right side of her head and everything went black.


End file.
